The Horror of Castle Bleck
by AdmiralBobbery
Summary: Castle Bleck has long sat forgotten in the remotest reaches of the Earth...but murder lurks in the halls and those who dare to read revisit the haunting past of the keep, and the mystery of Monsieur Blumiere.
1. Prologue

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Prologue

A white streak of lightning blazed across the pitch black sky as the wind whipped the weathervane off the topmost watchtower of the castle. Rain cascaded in sheets out of the dismal sky and purple clouds gathered in the distance. It was a storm that even Huff n' Puff could not fathom of conjuring, but storms suited Castle Bleck's style just fine.

Inside, candles adorned the walls, resting in little hooks. The faint lighting gave the inside a spooky aura that graced all who entered with chills.

Except no one ever did enter this forsaken place.

Why?

For there was once a grisly murder here.

A murder so grisly in fact, that even the master of this forgotten haunt no longer walked these halls. He had fled, perhaps into another life. His name…Blumiere.

Monsieur Blumiere's oil painting hung over the ashen fireplace. Long forgotten, his witty smirk graced the canvas giving it a redeeming quality in the dark atmosphere. Blumiere had been rich, richer than even Princess Toadstool they had said. But he hadn't been seen in so long…not after the murder.

The clouds drifted away now, and morning light up the inside of Castle Bleck, sunlight pouring through the cracked windows, illuminating the panes and eschewing the darkness.

Every day Castle Bleck sat dormant, waiting for someone new to enter its long forgotten halls. But no one ever did.

So you want to hear about Castle Bleck? You want to know what macabre tale has weaved itself into the workings of this gruesome home. Then prepare yourself for a mystery. For a romance. And for the most enthralling of all…a murder.


	2. Castle Bleck

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter One

50 years earlier

A bright, luminous sun gallantly rose to greet the new morning. The warm rays of its splendor penetrated the stainless windows of Castle Bleck. Resting upon the shingles of the many watchtowers and roofs, the sun instantly warmed up the interior of this sumptuous keep. Inside, the halls and rooms beamed with life as the new day began and Monsieur Blumiere's tiny staff began their daily routine.

There was Mimi, the chef. Mimi had come into Blumiere's service as a child, mistreated at an orphanage not far from Flipside, but cruel nonetheless. Blumiere had been walking about town one afternoon, in his evermore sprightly youth and had happened upon the rugged gates of the dilapidated orphanage. He spotted Mimi, playing outside, and he snuck her out without a sound. She had never left his side, sort of a daughter to the wealthy yet mysterious Blumiere.

Mimi began to sauté the mushrooms, and glazed them with a keelhaul mango glaze. Blumiere always remarked she cooked better than the renowned Zess T. even though Blumiere had not tasted a single drop of Zess T.'s food.

Blumiere was reserved, taciturn, and hardly went out these days. Any invitation he spurned, any knock on the door and the sashes went down. Blumiere was a recluse.

He had right to be, his beautiful wife Tippi had passed in her youth, soon after Mario had purged the evil of the Chaos Hearts from Blumiere's corrupted heart. Whisking Tippi away and taking her to Castle Bleck to furnish the place, the work took too much of a toll on the delicate Tippi and the atrophy took her away. Blumiere refused to leave his room much after that, save for a walk to see Tippi's grave.

Mimi took heart in her food, so as to cheer the dampened spirits of her master. But it never worked; just a curt nod was all she received for her efforts.

And then there was Blythe. Blythe was the maid, a very old and nasty woman who spat venom at those who pursued conversation. One could take two looks at Blythe without some sort of vicious injection from the dame's sour mind. But Blythe cleaned well, better than most, and Castle Bleck had never looked finer. Blythe had some help; there were two other maids, but they are not worth the mentioning for this tale.

It is to be noted that Mimi and Blythe despised one another. It did not begin that way; Blythe simply loathed all who encroached upon her life. Mimi's benign attitude gave way to the dame's rotten visage, and Mimi became sour as well. The two sparred over almost anything. Save for Madam Tippi's favor, for her name was never spoken in those halls.

There was but one more we should note, Merloon. Merloon was an old sage, outcast from the House of Merlon, due to his nature as a mountebank. His fraudulent manner caught up with him, and he pleaded with Blumiere to let him stay, for he could see the future and Blumiere was desperate to know when he would see Tippi again. Merloon claimed he could not see death, only the events leading up and warned Blumiere that one day a woman would come to Castle Bleck and for the first time Blumiere would have to let an undesired guest in.

That day was today.


	3. A Moonlit Mystery

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Two

There was once a war. A ghastly one at that. History claims it as one of the worst the Kingdoms have ever seen. Beginning in the Sammer Kingdom, the war begin to take over much of the worldly sphere, encroaching upon all save the Mushroom and Koopa Kingdoms, which normally stay out of international affairs.

This war in its entirety however is not important to our tale, what is important you might ask is who in the war did serve. Only two individuals stand out for our recounting of these nightmarish events, and the first is our own Monsieur Blumiere. Blumiere fought in his youth, standing out as an exemplary and fearless soldier he rose through the echelons with celerity. Becoming Lt. Colonel of the 13th Regiment of the Sammer Kingdom Alliance, Blumiere won many decisive victories alongside the second of our aforementioned characters, General White.

White, a very taciturn and stalwart man led the 13th Regiment with Blumiere as his immediate subsidiary. However, enough with this historic droll, the fact of the matter is that White and Blumiere became very good friends after the war.

This happens to bring us to present day.

The night before the day in which Merloon read dear Monsieur Blumiere his destiny, General White received a call. This call was from someone he had never heard of but the exact message rattled his bones with chills. White was smoking a cherry cigar in the parlor of his estate, his wife sound asleep and his children away. The phone rang, piercing the almost frozen night with a caterwauling noise. Not expecting a call at such hours, White dropped the cigar out of his mouth and burned his chest, howling in pain.

This howl, coupled with the phone was not enough to stir his wife however and the bob-omb rose to meet the ringing device.

"Good evening," The General began.

"To you as well General, we haven't much time."

Puzzled with the unfamiliar voice and ominous message The General considered hanging up, but then remembered the mysterious figure had addressed him.

"Time for what my chap?"

"No time, I need your help and your help explicitly. I need you to come to the Poshley Heights Station at midnight. Can you do that for me General?"

"Who are you?"

"No time."

And with that the line went dead.

Spooked, confused, bafflement mixed with wonder, adventurous mixed with fearful. These were the feelings White encountered after the phone call. Knowing he shouldn't go he couldn't help but dwell on the desperation and urgency in the man's tone.

Shrouding himself in his burlap coat, White dashed out the front door.

Thunder clapped over the highest reaches of Castle Bleck and Blumiere doubted Merloon's prediction. Why in blazes would someone come to his home during this infernal weather? Pacing over the matter, Blumiere stopped.

He was nervous.

Never before had he allowed someone that he had not secured with his trust into Castle Bleck. A secret refuge from the woes of the world, Blumiere had intended to stay hidden from all he did not align himself with. His palms were clammy, and Blumiere dashed downstairs for a glass of water.

Immaculate. The only word suited to describe the staircase of Castle Bleck in its prime. The steps wound in a continuous circle for stories, each lined with night black satin and embellished with mahogany lining. A golden rail rang all the way along the outside of the stairwell, shining in its own refulgence. But that was not the beauty. The rail had carvings in it that depicted beautiful scenery handpicked from Blumiere's favorite places around the Kingdoms. However, his very favorite was carved with the most luxurious splendor, Castle Bleck. The castle's sketch was burned into the railing, depicting every corner and shingle of the massive keep perfectly. Immaculate.

As Blumiere descended these royal steps, his eyes caught the dark wood door. A figure stood behind the distorted glass panes.

They were here.

**Patience. The horror will begin, but the plot must be laid first. More chapters tonight! Please keep reading and review, favorite, follow, and enjoy!**


	4. A Rose in the Graveyeard

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Three

A knock. Simple, staccato, but rough, piercing, an acknowledgement of good news, bad news, friends, foes, lovers, family, destiny.

Not many realize all that goes into a knock. And what goes with the answer.

Answering knock can alter fate, ignoring it can alter one's fate as well.

However, can one really alter their fate?

Blumiere made a decision that morning, a decision that he believed would change his fate.

He chose not to answer the door.

Blythe did.

Laying an aged hand on the door, the old woman slowly separated the closure between Castle Bleck and the outside world. The dark elements of the approaching storm poured into the house with a violent gale of wind, but the figure waiting for acceptance into the magnificent halls was unfazed by the gust.

It was a woman. A beautiful woman at that. Clad in a soft pink dress the bounded over her lithe figure and pleasant curves. Framing her body elegantly, the powdery shade of pink made the woman stand out amongst the dismal backdrop like a naysayer in the holy ground. Her delicate hands were gloved and her tiny face beamed with beauty. Her golden curls lightly draped over her sloping shoulders. She was the apex of beauty, the pinnacle of glamour and the epitome of a woman.

Blythe invited her in.

"Thank You," were the first words to escape the woman's pursed mouth. The words rolled off of her tongue like honey. Sweet and benign the woman could have been taken for a priestess. She shook her luscious curls and they embraced the edges of her face.

Blythe ventured for her name.

"Lisette." The woman replied.

The name struck Blumiere like gunfire. He drew a chilly breath and his heart seemed to slow. That name, that name and how it pierced his soul! Blumiere almost fell off the grand staircase but caught himself on the rail.

"Lisette," he called out.

The woman turned to him.

"Blumiere."

General White's small legs moved like the wind as he raced for the train station.

"What am I doing?" he thought to himself.

A malevolent storm was brewing, and the General hurried his already alacritous pace. Coming to a stop at the train station he doubled over for breath, finding no relief. He wanted to sit, but remained upright as he saw a figure approach.

"Who...are…you?" White breathed.

The figure was short, hidden in a cloak the color of shadow. Almost invisible against the midnight sky, the figure came so close to White he could have touched it. The figure lifted a gloved hand to their hood and dropped the cloak.

"Nastasia…" The old bob-omb gasped.

Blumiere came down the steps, each footfall a step towards his purgatory, towards his paradise, towards his demise, towards his rebirth. Lisette strode forward, her clean shaven legs extending from underneath her blush dress. The two met.

"I…I…" Blumiere was speechless.

"Speak not, I have come, and that is all that matters, I trust you have kept it safe," Lisette said.

Blumiere extended a hand, and she took it.

"Of course, would like to see it?"

"No, not now, the time isn't right," she cut herself off, "Oh Blumiere! You don't know how it's been! Father has fallen ill, and you know mother…she hasn't been quite right for a while. I've sent letters but I can never reach you here, but I've come."

"You have...indeed," Blumiere responded.

Blythe's speech seemed to shatter the moment that the man and woman were having,

"Some tea?" she probed.

Blumiere pulled himself out of the encounter and phased back into reality.

"Tea would do fine Blythe, and rouse Merloon, he need not to slumber through Madam Lisette's arrival. And scratch the tea, bring out the Westershroom, a drink is in order." Blumiere commanded.

As Blythe took her absence to deal with the chores her master had requested of, Blumiere took Lisette by the hand once more. Tenderness developed inside of the wretched misanthrope's heart. The same tenderness kindled in Lisette.

However one thought kept dissolving the recluse's thoughts of warmth and glee.

Tippi.


	5. Reunion

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter 4

Shock. That was what filled the old general's heart as he gazed upon Nastasia withered face. Her magenta hued hair was all disheveled and the glass was cracked on one of the lenses of her eyeglasses. She looked used up, wasted, atrophied, sick.

"We haven't much time," was all the phantasmal woman could muster to say, once again as the silver moonbeams pierced the still night.

The General took a step towards her,

"Time for what?"

Nastasia readjusted her slipping glasses, "No time General, I just need you to board this train, board it please and don't get off until you get to Mount Noir, he needs you, Blumiere needs you."

Blumiere. The General's old friend, which he had very much forgotten about in the perils of a recumbent life. However, he remembered him now, and he knew Blumiere never requested advice or help on anything, but someone had to give it instead.

The General hopped on the train with the stuff jump that bob-ombs do, and casting a farewell glance at Nastasia he noticed she was already gone.

A grumpy Merloon kvetched all the way down the staircase about how he absolutely loathed being summoned at such an hour.

'It's noon," Blumiere said with a pitiful drone, not taking much interest in the woes of the old curmudgeon. The mystic crossed the foyer and entered the kitchen, eying the Westershroom.

"Ah! A drink! I don't mind if I do," the sage extended an oily hand to grasp the bottle with, but Blythe snatched it away with a venomous glare.

"Not for washed-up tarot readers! This is for the master of the house and his guest! Worth the ear of Blythe!" The dame seethed with anger, directed at the derelict of an old man as he retracted his greedy arm.

Strutting into the parlor with an expression of solemn victory, Blythe gently poured the contents of the dusty bottle into two small tumblers. Dropping a single ice cube in each, she nodded with a smile of forced pleasantry and backtracked out of the room. Blumiere raised his glass to Lisette's.

"A toast."

The glass clinked, making the first sound of joy that had embraced the saturnine atmosphere of Castle Bleck in a while.

Lisette patted her lips delicately with a rosy pocket handkerchief and took matters to business.

"Blumiere, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to see the amulet," she said.

Coughing on his drink, causing the bitter spirit to go down roughly, Blumiere met her eyes with a deadly perplexity.

"Now?" She nodded.

Setting the barely touched drinks back on the silver platter, Blumiere dug into his shirt.

"I've never removed it, I thought it would keep it safe if I just always kept it on," he explained as he fished out a brilliant ruby pendant that sparkled like a diamond in a dirt mound.

"Beautiful…pristine condition…how'd you manage to?...Oh Blumiere," Lisette kissed his cheek.

Blushing, Blumiere unclasped the amulet and gently laid it in Lisette's palm.

"Its rightful owner has returned, I believe you should keep it now," he kindly phrased the words as if he were returning a child to its lost mother.

But as Lisette clasped the amulet about her neck and tucked it safely in between her breasts, a transition took place in the room that not many noticed. A shift in the atmospheric pressure, diluting the heavy methodology of respiration with a more sinister intake. It was like breathing in darkness.

All eyes turned to the amulet, Mimi from her kitchen, Merloon from his sitting chair in the lounge, Blythe from her busywork in the dining room and Blumiere from his place just inches away from Lisette.

All eyes on the delicate woman and her treasure, the room held a tense and almost mordant feeling that all could feel but Lisette. The amulet quickened her blood, sharpened her senses, she became attuned to the wonder and the marvel of each individual piece of luxury in the castle.

The source of all this aggression, wonder, acuity and wickedness sprouted from the amulet.

The air seemed to cool, and after the amulet rested safely with Lisette for a little bit the room returned to normal, and everyone returned to their respective duties.

And then the door knocked for a second time that day.


	6. A Visit From Death

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter 5

A white bob-omb wrapped in a soaking wet cloak huddled about the frame of the massive doorway of Castle Bleck as torrents of silent rain poured out of the violet sky. The mahogany door creaked open, this time answered by the hermit himself.

"White? Heaven's Sake is that you?" Blumiere threw open the door and the old war veteran dashed in.

"Were you going to make me stand there all day chap? It's absolutely pouring out there! Where in the devil is the bathroom?" The General let loose a flying stream of questions, rants and demands.

The General collected himself when he noticed Lisette.

"My apologies madam, if I had known there was a lady in the house I would have altered my entrance. The name is White, yours is…"

"Lisette," she filled in with a voice that killed White with sweet innocence. But he detected something foul in her beauteous wake, something rotten with an ill will.

Blumiere clasped a hand on General White's rounded shoulder and asked, "What brings you here? Especially out of the blue like this."

"I was in the area," White lied, not knowing his true purpose for being there. He just knew that Blumiere was in grave danger, that's at least what Nastasia hinted at. Being given a fresh coat by Blythe, White plopped into a reclining seat and sipped on the neglected Westershroom.

"Lovely bouquet," he commented, sipping more of the dark liquor.

"Will you be staying the night?" Blumiere questioned.

"Why, if only you'd have me! I'm waiting for a package from Toad Town to arrive at the Mount Noir post office and then I'll be back on my way to Poshley Heights. I've been touring the Kingdoms with Admiral Bobbery, you remember him from the naval recruits don't you. Splendid chap, well we got separated in those blasted paths of the Boo Forest and I wound up in Mount Noir, awaiting word from my friend. If I could rest here until that matter blows over it would be a considerable deal of help," White fabricated the entire lie as he went, not wanting to spook Blumiere or dishearten the lovely Lisette.

At that moment, the lunch bell rang and everyone flowed into the dining room. Mimi sauntered in, cart lined with covered platters with steam wafting from the sides. A famished White licked his lips and even Blythe and her cross demeanor looked pleased to be eating. The arrival of so many guests in who knows when upset the air of the Castle, making everyone eager to get away from the formal introductions.

The day passed relatively quietly. Lisette had mentioned to Blumiere that she only intended to stay until she could send word to her cousin in Poshley Heights that her father had fallen ill and hoped to collect some medicine from the area.

White offered to look around with her, saying the duo could return to the town together,

"What's your cousin's name?"

Lisette dodged the question with an unprecedented readiness, "Oh we haven't spoken in ages, and mother just mentioned we had relations in Poshley, I just can't take care of the both of them without help, a dreadful circumstance."

White doubted her.

Night flanked Castle Bleck like cornered prey, engulfing the manor in a pitch black blanket. Aided only by candle light, the residents made way to their respective chambers and bid one another farewell.

Bleck smiled at Lisette, and she smiled back, White curtly nodded to the company, while Mimi and Blythe spat venom. Merloon formed a half-dazed smile, crooked and weak and shot it at whoever looked. All entering their rooms, the hall was silent for only a few minutes.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

All six doors flung open at once.

The party all looked at one another, completely awake, having shaken off any hint of tiredness. They all confirmed they had heard the knock on the foyer door. As a cohesive unit they descended the steps, each creak like a dagger to the heart, suspense of whom it might be clawing at their brains.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Petrified, Mimi dashed back up the stairs. Blythe cursed her name and the group continued on. The midnight hour dragged on, as did their trek down the seemingly endless spiral of stairs. Rejoining the group, not wanting to be left alone, Mimi joined the ranks once more, and they carefully reached the bottom.

Treading like shadows, not making a sound, they advanced towards the door. Grabbing the knob with a quaking hand, fear soaked Blumiere to the bone as he wrenched the door open.

Nothing.

No one was there, except for the full moon in its brilliantly refulgent beauty. Penetrating the placid sky with its luminous rays, it seemed out of place.

Closing the door silently, Blumiere turned back to his companions.

All spooked beyond belief, they retreated back to their rooms with haste. They bid one another goodnight again and nestled in their covers, washing the incident downstairs from their minds.

But there was someone at the door that night.

And his name was Death.


	7. What the Housemaid Saw

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter 6

Now we come to a point in our tale where the plot takes a considerable shift. Consider if you will, a recluse, a damsel, a retired war hero, a perfectionist, a matron, a lunatic and an exile. What do they all have in common?

A lack of purpose.

The recluse has locked himself from society. The damsel can never fend for herself. The war hero is washed up, replaced and forgotten. The perfectionist always fails. The matron is vitriolic in manner both inside and out. The lunatic is never listened to. The exile is wiped from the life they once possessed.

But what could bring them all together? Something so splendid in nature, so horrifyingly wonderful it could give them the purpose they have sought for so long.

A fortune. A fortune so vast, so expansive it comes in a tiny amulet, ruby red.

Red, such a powerful color, red symbolizes power in itself, might, and kingship. Red also symbolizes blood. Flowing in and out of our bodies every day, blood is thickest of all; blood brings about change either by its spillage or preservation.

Being given such an opportunity to change the deviation of their life, to right their wrongs and restore their hope, the seven personas marvel at their good fortune.

There was a moment, when Lisette slipped on the amulet and tucked it safely under her clothes where an ominous aura took control of Castle Bleck. The inhabitants seemed frozen in awe at the marvelous gem that hung from the fair woman's neck. And in that instant, that darkness planted itself in the hearts of all present, and one not. Death visited Castle Bleck's door and was not received kindly, spurned by the fearful souls that dwelled within. But Death rued the night, wreaking vengeance on those who banished him.

Morning broke, rays shimmering in and out of Castle Bleck. With a lackadaisical rise, Mimi yawned and slipped on her fluffy pink slippers. Coming to her senses, she walked, more or less sashayed to and fro amongst the kitchen upon descending the grandiose staircase. Preparing a tray of toast, eggs and warm black coffee she ascended the steps. Reaching Blumiere's door she raised her hand to knock, then took it down.

A noise, faint but distinct emerged from the room across the hall. Curious, Mimi grasped the silver handle, a perfect circle, and slowly wedged the door open, the old keep creaking and groaning with every inch the door gained.

_CRASH!_

Mimi dropped the tray. The toast crumbled at her heel, the eggs splattered at her toes, the coffee cascaded down her legs. A caterwaul, a screech like none other emitted from the recesses of her throat.

She fainted.

For lying in her bed, Lisette lay with a horror-stricken visage. Her hair matted and wild, her eyes glossy with a secret knowing. A knife protruded from her chest, smeared with blood that trickled down her chest to her limp hand hanging off the edge of the satin sheets. Her own blood pooled at her breast, staining her beautiful clothes and ruining the extravagant bedding.

Lisette was dead.

But if one took careful notice, they would notice something peculiar, something was missing. For the amulet that had hung around her neck just the night before, was gone.


	8. Bumpties, Frauds and Secrets

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Seven

Blumiere had gathered everyone in the parlor, each trembling with fear knowing that a murderer lay amongst them. Lisette's body remained in her room, not a thing was touched, not even the food that Mimi had dropped. They were awaiting the inspector's arrival, who said he would be there post haste.

"I-I-I, I would like to know who did this!" Blumiere stammered, pacing around the parlor his white cloak bouncing at his heels.

"D-d-d-do you know what this means?" Blythe stuttered, "One of us is a murderer, and none of us know who it is."

_I may have an idea_, General White thought to himself.

Morning turned to afternoon and no one left their seats, they didn't budge a muscle or bat an eye. Blumiere had not stopped pacing, Blythe shivered on the edge of a couch, Merloon reclined in a chair smoking his pipe, General White fidgeted in his seat, and Mimi had bitten her nails to the stump.

Then there was a knock, a knock so forceful that the castle seemed to shake. Blumiere nearly bolted to the door, not even peering through the looking glass to see who it might be. His suspicions confirmed, in strode the inspector.

"My name is Pennington," the stout bumpty declared. He brushed his wings carefully and removed a white lace handkerchief from his bag. He meticulously wiped the edges of a magnifying glass and placed both items in his bag. Then he waddled into the parlor and leered at the crowd with an astute but menacing glare altogether. He was assessing his suspects.

"A bumpty for a detective?" Blythe hysterically cackled. "Are you serious? We're going to let this bird deliver our judgment, the nerve…" Blumiere cut her off

"Sir Pennington, I had Blythe here arrange a room for you already, if you would like to see it…"

Pennington cut off Blumiere, "That shall not be necessary there chap. I would like to get a fine look at these poor devils, including you, as to deduce who the miscreant that committed such a felony might be. A stabbing you say…too much energy for some of our older suspects, too rash for something a dainty housemaid would do, yes…the murderer is…you Count Blumiere!"

"Excuse me?" Blumiere guffawed.

Pennington shook his head, "I'm afraid so…" but was once again cut off by his host.

"You really think I have the audacity to murder my sister?"

Everyone gasped.

"Lisette…was your sister dear boy?" White questioned.

"Did I stutter?" Blumiere snapped.

Mimi choked on her words, "Why didn't you say so…this is awful…this is horrible!"

Pennington raced to her side, "My darling, calm yourself," then he turned to the crowd, "It seems that this case will take more deduction than I first believed. For now I will be in room, but when I come down I would like a personal interview with each of you, ciao."

And with that Pennington clambered up the steps to his room, leaving the rest of the servants and guests to console Blumiere.

However, he viciously turned on them.

"One of you may have murdered my sister, but you can't murder a fortune, you can only hide it. One of you took my family heirloom, and when I figure out who has it, you will pay dearly." A maniacal smile crept upon his face, shadowing every inch of his former gratuity and humbleness, Blumiere became a man of vengeful will.

And as the horrified coterie in the parlor witnessed this gruesome transformation, for the fourth time in two days, an otherworldly phenomenon according to the record books of Castle Bleck, there was a knock on the door.


	9. From the Eyes of a Traitor

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Eight

Now when one lives in an isolated place, and that said place is specifically isolated so that the aforementioned one does not come into contact with demons of his past or other unwanted phantoms, and this sanctity is breached, multiple times, within a matter of forty eight hours, that said one tends to find the arousal of company a…displeasure.

Now not that Blumiere didn't enjoy company; that is what Mimi, Blythe, Merloon and the other servants were for. Now remember dear readers, the servants that are not named are not important to our tale and therefore are not the murderer. So as an author I hereby promise to not pull a gimmick on your trusted readership and pull a minor character with no name out of thin air and produce this being as the murderer. That would be…for lack of a better word…lame.

On with the story.

Blumiere dreaded the sound of knocks as of late. They had brought his sister, a longtime friend and a cheeky detective to his secluded abode. However, knocks now symbolized death, suspicion and annoyance. And this next knock encompassed all three, for when Blumiere thrust open the tall wooden edifice and winced as his previous expression of morbid grief dissolved into an expression of pain. Pain that reminded him of betrayal, love and thievery.

"Nastasia," he breathed.

It was true, the small, sharp-looking, woman pushed her magenta glasses up her nose and emitted a small cough. Then she turned her attention to Blumiere.

"Ble-…" she began but Blumiere waved a hand.

"If you were so apt as to discover my location than I'm willing to wager that you know I don't use that name anymore, I go by Blumiere," the man nearly mocked her.

Nastasia frowned, "Well, Blumiere, I think you know why I'm here."

Blumiere spat venom, "Actually, I don't, and I don't intend to find out." He swung the door shut but she kicked her foot in the crevice just in time, wedging the door open and leaving it ajar.

"Not so fast Count, even though she's gone, I'm still around, and I can help you, just hear me out," there was a plead in her voice.

Blumiere wasn't sure if she was referring to his beloved Tippi or the late Lisette.

Reading his mind Nastasia said, "I think I have a clue as to who axed your sister, Blumiere."

Blumiere didn't like the way she pronounced his name. It rolled off her tongue as if she had swallowed acid. Blumiere didn't like, not sense, the incident. However, he knew she might have a figment of a clue as to what transpired last night, a clue he couldn't spare to part with. Without a word he opened the door wide and moved to the side all in one swift flow. Nastasia nodded.

As she entered, her stilettos clicked against the hardwood floor with such a noise that reverberated against the high ceilings. She pursed her lips, taking in the magnificence of Castle Bleck and turned to Blumiere.

"If you don't prefer that name, why does the castle go by it?"

"A reminder," he began, "That no matter how hard you try, your past will always exist."

Nastasia was taken aback by his deepness. A side she didn't know was there. Well she didn't know much about him anyway. Just whatever the Dark Prognosticus had foretold.

Nastasia entered the parlor, where General White snoozed in the recliner, a small bubble of drool forming around the edges of his open mouth. His pallor stood out amongst the black leather and Nastasia quickly took notice of him.

"He made it," she thought with a sense of hope.

Knowing more than she let on, Nastasia took a seat opposite the General and flipped through a dusty tome that lay on the table in front of her. Blumiere swept into the parlor, gliding noiselessly on the wood floor and was about to take a seat when the most dreadful screech broke out amongst the afternoon air.

"Hark! A new face, in the midst of a mire of madness! Who is this mystery woman? The murderer always comes back to the scene of the crime! There, sitting in the parlor, is your murderer!"

Pennington dashed down the stairs, tripping over his stubby feet and crashing at the bottom in a fit of ebullience. Merloon followed him, waltzing down the staircase in a drunken swoon, the frothy remains of a draught still clinging to his frazzled mustache. Stepping over the inspector's body, Merloon accosted Nastasia.

"Merloon, seer of the stars, from the fabled house of Merlon," he introduced himself with a barbaric burp, seizing Nastasia's hand plopping down next to her, almost instantaneously falling into a slumber.

Pennington rose, brushed himself off and upon further inspection of Nastasia denied his prior chastisement. Rounding up the suspects he instructed them that the interviews were about to begin.

Nastasia noticed something though, a few things really. When Merloon had introduced himself she smelt something on him, something that smelt like glue. She also found it very peculiar that General White had been passed out for what Blumiere had said been hours. She sent him here to help not to commit murder. But she also noticed a handkerchief sticking out of Blythe's dress pocket. A handkerchief that looked mighty too regal to be hers. These little details stuck out in her head, something that Pennington hadn't even noticed.

"And without further ado we shall begin with the woman who saw it all, Mimi, my dear, please come into the drawing room and tell me all you know."

Nastasia fazed back into reality as Pennington lead the housemaid away and the rest took their leave of one another, by nestling back into the couches. Nastasia could smell something was up, and it didn't smell good.

But someone else was on to Nastasia, an outsider she was, putting on airs around the rest. This said someone didn't like that, one bit, and they intended to do something about that.


	10. Through the Window

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Nine

Pennington could barely see Mimi he was squinting so hard, trying to intimidate her.

"Could you please stop that?" Mimi whimpered in annoyance.

Pennington drew himself up, puffing out his feathery chest and exhaled. Removing a pad of paper and a fountain pen from his bag he began,

"Please tell me everything you remember ma'am, from the night before up to the murder, and any suspicious details you've noticed amongst the others."

Mimi's face contorted, and her eyes watered as she focused on remembering the night.

"There…there was a knock on the door, which we all heard, and then…" She recounted all of the night up until she encountered Lisette's body in her bed. She began to cry when she arrived at the gruesome details of the fair woman's murder and Pennington had to console her.

"Well, thank you miss, you may return to the parlor and please call in that sour dame," Mimi looked taken aback at his description of Blythe, but followed his mandate. Summoning Blythe, Mimi took a seat next to Merloon and wept softly into his dirty coat. The old man frowned, as his coat got increasingly damp and proceeded to push the helpless chef off his shoulder and she slumped into the cushions.

"You rang?" Blythe laughed as she entered the drawing room.

"For such a grim circumstance, you seem to be in an awfully cheery mood," Pennington observed.

"Well you live and you die, and though it's a shame that lovely woman had to go before my wrinkled soul I can't change that. So go ahead and probe away, but you won't find anything!" Her temper increased as she talked, ending with a vehement snarl. Pennington, unfazed, continued.

"Now, did you hear anything in the night? Your room was positioned right next to Madam Lisette's was it not?"

"Yes it was, but as to you bumpty, I do remember hearing something in the night now that I think about it," her mood softened.

"Ah yes, yes, I couldn't sleep well that night on account of the strange knocking, but I do remember hearing the faintest sound emanating from Lisette's room, it sounded like, like a window opening. Mr. Pennington! I believe your assailant came from outside!" The old woman's eyes lit up with fire, in a mix of pride and reason.

Pennington shook his head, "But, the murder took place on the second floor. A very high up second floor mind you, I think your logic is flawed. For who could have scaled such a climb?"

At this, Blythe leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Mr. Pennington, outside of every window there is sort of a railing that runs along the perimeter of the castle, just enough to sidle if you walk with your feet inward. Scaling the walls was unnecessary, but if someone opened their window, walked along the railing and murdered Lisette, why they wouldn't even have to go out in the hall!"

A bashful look crept its way onto Pennington's face.

"Trumped! By a dame!" Blythe smacked him.

"Dame? I give you good and valuable information and you call me a dame!" Pennington opened his mouth to apologize.

"Apologies madam, I was simply shocked, you knowledge is infallible. Please, take your leave to the parlor and bring in the General."

General White coughed into his handkerchief and began discussing with Pennington. He reviewed basically everything Mimi and Blythe had mentioned, and most of the interviews went that way, until he got to Nastasia, the last one.

"I was not here in the night, but I noticed a few peculiar things I thought I should bring your attention to."

But then she paused, did she want to spill her secrets to this bumpty detective? She decided against, but thought she would tell Blumiere and instead substituted her former statement with this,

"On second thought, I think it was just Merloon's usual intoxication antics."

Hoping Pennington would buy it; she took her leave and ran off to find Blumiere. Her heels clicking against the floor like gunshots, she soon found Blumiere in the library. He was drinking a glass of red wine, or to put it more accurately, was just swishing the blood red liquid around in the glass.

Upon her entrance, Blumiere scowled, he did not want Nastasia here, and was only letting her stay because she promised her assistance in this troubling time.

"Blumiere..." she began but he waved her over.

"Sit Nastasia, we have much to catch up on."

Nastasia did not want to talk history, but discuss what she had observed throughout the day. Why would Merloon smell like glue? Why was White so tired? What was Blythe doing with that handkerchief? All these questions and more she had for Blumiere, but he persisted and so she began.

"Well after the whole Chaos Heart drama died down, I went to live in Toad Town and try to live a normal person's life, but that wasn't for me. I got a reading from the old fortune teller Merlon there, and he told me I needed to find the pale knight and send word to the forgotten castle. After about a month of interpretation I located General White and sent him here to you, in Castle Bleck."

Blumiere was shocked to learn that Nastasia had sent General White, but then asked her, "Do you have any idea as to who could have done this? I do not suspect you; you didn't arrive until after the murder and I think it's safe for you to assume I didn't kill my own sister. But that only leaves White, Mimi, Merloon and Blythe. Mimi discovered the body, Blythe and Merloon don't have the motive and White is one of my closest friends…I just don't get it."

Nastasia wanted to tell him about all the information she had collected, but decided that he had already had a rough day enough and would wait until tomorrow and arouse his suspicions of his friends and trustees. The pair rising to leave, Nastasia turned sharply on her heels when Blumiere clasped her hand.

"Nastasia…I'm glad you've returned," he mumbled.

"Me too…Blumiere."

The duo retraced their steps out of the library and walked towards the dining room together, as Mimi rung the dinner the bell. The chime pierced the still air, calling the residents back to the everyday routines of life, and how mundane everything seems. Except it wasn't mundane, for amongst them was a murderer, and despite the deals they've struck and the evidence they've proposed, it could be any one of them.


	11. Dinner with Death

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Ten

Mimi had never prepared a finer meal. Tender roast beef was drowned in sumptuous au jus, with mashed potatoes as fluffy as clouds on the side. The scent of roasted asparagus wafted through the air, and it filled the nostrils of everyone present with ravenous hunger. There were golden brown dinner rolls, dipped in warm butter, and a cheese casserole made of too many different kinds to count. They all sipped on Westershroom, and made a toast to Lisette, but through the clink of the glass, they were all still thinking about the murderer in their midst.

The white tablecloth draped over the sides of the long mahogany table, and the candelabra rested on both sides, lighting the room up faintly, encircling each dish with a luminous ring and nothing more. A faint breeze lashed outside, whipping up leaves and tossing them against the windows. The clouds settled in, coating the moon in a billowy blanket. The moonbeam shone down on the castle, casting an eerie aura on the shingles.

"My oh my Mimi darling, I don't believe you've ever done finer! Just scrumptious!" Blumiere almost sounded sarcastic.

Mimi blushed, and the paltry servants that we need not discuss collected the emptied plates and replacing them with second helpings.

"Now Pennington, why don't you regal us with a tale of your sleuthing's?" Blumiere pointed at the detective with the hilt of his bread knife. The detective blushed and held up a blue flipper.

"Well, Monsieur Blumiere, I was once on the trail of someone who had stolen my steak! Right from under my nose! Following the trail of meaty juice I came across the culprit…my dog!" everyone laughed at his hearty joke and Merloon let out a drunken burp.

"Now Merloon, with manners like that you'll frighten the guests!" Blumiere jeered and more laughter ensued.

The sprightly mood settled in, and everyone gaily dug into their second helpings, lightly joking and drinking and having a wonderful evening amongst the tragic set of circumstances.

Without warning, Blumiere stood up with celerity rivaled only by light, and pounded his fist on the table, with a force so great his wine glass shattered, and the liquid cascaded over his hand and the bits of glass burst in every direction.

"Now someone in this room murdered by sister! A lot of lies have been said at this table and we are not leaving this room until the culprit is pinned! Now I have shown each and every one of you either hospitality or largesse, and I am simply astonished that one of you would do such a thing to me! Now fess up," and pulling a bloodstained knife from his coat he stabbed it into the table with one swing and was interjected by Pennington.

"The knife! You are not to mess with the evidence Monsieur Blumiere! An atrocity, how dare you!"

"How dare I?" Blumiere asked with venom, "How dare I take the knife out of the breast of my own sister? How dare I preserve her beauty and lighten her corpse of that heinous blade? How dare I? How dare you inspector! How dare you chastise me and my sister so! My Lisette…my dear Lisette," he slumped to the ground, his chair getting knocked back in the process.

Nastasia shot Pennington a reproachful look and laid a hand on Blumiere's, which he did not remove.

Kneeling down to console him, Nastasia whispered something in his ear. Blythe and Mimi quickly collected the dishes and White and Merloon excused themselves. Only Pennington, Nastasia and Blumiere remained in the dining room, the inspector with a look of grave remorse on his face, wishing he could take back his previous cry.

Helping Blumiere up, Nastasia walked him up the stairs. Commenting on how drowsy she was, Blythe retired to her room. White and Merloon followed suit and finishing up in the kitchen Mimi followed them up last. Only Pennington remained.

Questioning his progress, the bumpty still sat in the dining room, pondering the case. None of it added up, the amulet was still missing with not a hint, and he had no clue as to who could have stabbed Lisette. Dozing off in the chair, he awoke with a start when the clock chimed twelve, collecting his surroundings, Pennington trudged up the steps.

Twelve bongs on the clock, each one seemingly louder than the last, with the twelfth one delivering a tremendous quake.

Only twenty four hours before, Death had knocked on the door and although the residents of the house did not know it, he had been let it when they opened the door that night. Death was inside, and now he had settled down, preparing to strike again.


	12. The Recipe for Madness

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Eleven

The second morning since Lisette's murder, Merloon stumbled out of bed, rising with a groggy stretch and a twist of his ailing back. He instantly popped two red and blue pills into his mouth with a swig of water that rested on his nightstand and he sluggishly strolled into the hall. With a smack of his gums, he plodded down the lengthy staircase.

"Ol 'Blumiere, always gots to have his staircase, makin' it so hard for ol' Merloon to get a drink," the sage thought aloud and walked right past the grandfather clock without noticing a thing.

As the rest of the inhabitants of Castle Bleck arose, Merloon was busy in the kitchen, deep-frying a mushroom omelet in liquor. Blumiere could smell the burning alcohol all the way down the stairs and quickly dashed down them before Merloon started a fire.

Something stopped him.

He froze, gripped with terror as he peered into the glass framing of the grandfather clock. He let out a scream that seemed unfit for a man of his tall build, it sounded demonic and foreign to this world. He pounded on the glass as tears streamed down his face and he collapsed on the floor cursing himself and everyone else.

For inside the grandfather clock, jammed in between the pendulums was a compacted body, stained with crimson, the red liquid dripping into the inner-workings of the chains. A vacant expression rested in the bodies glossy eyes, the victim had not seen it coming.

But that was not the most disturbing.

Where the eyes should have been, were vacant voids, a pit of black nothingness, they had been gouged out. Stains of red peppered the sockets, and if you looked hard enough you could see the insides of the body's skull.

There was never a more gruesome sight.

Blumiere had vomited on the hardwood floor, and Nastasia raced down the stairs as soon as she saw the scene. She put her hand over her mouth and frenetically cried out to Blumiere,

"Oh Blumiere…Why? Who…Oh my God…"

She looked away, not being able to take in the sight.

Oh, a minor detail has been left unscratched, something that might stand out in the mind of the dear reader. The identity of this poor body that had been smashed in the clock and left to rot.

It was the inspector, Pennington.

The bumpty was dead; the second to fall victim to whatever wretched hand ruled this keep. As Nastasia laid a comforting hand on Blumiere, he stood up, like a blossoming flower, and whirled around on the small woman.

"How do I know it wasn't you?" he asked with craze.

Nastasia, looking offended laid a kiss on Blumiere's mouth.

"Because I love you damn it."

Her words were like a sweet poison, raining from the heavens of his hell. Blumiere did not know what to do. Her candor, so sharp and real, he was taken aback and intrigued at the same time. But…Tippi, he thought hard about how he liked that name better, Timpani sounded too regal for someone as light and playful as she. Not knowing what to do, he turned away.

This displeased Nastasia.

She couldn't focus on her feelings right now, but swung open the glass case and heaved the bumpty out and threw the cadaver on the floor.

"Would I do this to you!?" she nearly shouted. "Would I?" her voice rising.

Blumiere approached, and towered over her, the edge of his hat touching the top of her head.

"No. No you wouldn't, you wouldn't kill Pennington. But you would kill Lisette, the only other object of love I had, to have me all to yourself, and in case things didn't work out you could split with the fortune of the amulet. You didn't kill the inspector, but you did kill my sister."

Nastasia was floored, she couldn't believe it. He accused her of Lisette's murder!

"Blumiere…I-I wouldn't do that to you, I don't know who killed the two of them but it wasn't me, I swear on The Void."

Now to explain something, The Void had long closed, but back when Blumiere and Lisette worked in collusion to fulfill the Dark Prognosticus the used to swear their secrets and plots by The Void, the object of their accomplishment. It was a sanctified act, one not to be trifled with, and breaking an oath so heavy would result in death.

Blumiere turned around at this, and looked her in the eyes.

"You swear?" he grinned a most devilish grin at this point.

"I swear." She said her voice level.

"The girl swears! She loves me and she swears!" Blumiere called to every inch of the house and his cackle reverberated with menace.

"Stop this madness!" Nastasia demanded, "You're a madman! I love a madman!"

Blumiere couldn't help himself, "She loves me! Did you hear that General? She loves me!"

General White looked down on the first floor with a horrified expression, having just woken up to the clamor. Pennington's mangled body lay on the floor and Blumiere pranced about like some lunatic.

White descended the steps languidly, collecting his thoughts. He needed to get out of here before someone else was murdered.

Merloon danced in his chair, singing some song about a place called Keelhaul Key.

"Down with the sail, the wind blows a gale! Down in the deep, the phantoms they sleep! Coming for you and coming for me! Behold the madness, drink the blood that be!" His lyrics reached a crescendo and the madness came full circle.

Nastasia backed up to the front door and debated fleeing, but stopped.

Blumiere came to, and hit the ground again with a sob. Merloon took another bite of his omelet as Mimi and Blythe descended the steps.

"What happened?" the cook asked mortified.

Blumiere cradled the dead detective in his arm and ascended the stairs, his tears wetting the bumpty's cerulean feathers. Each step was a trial for the man, and he finally reached the door to the room Pennington had stayed. Placing the body on the bed, he carefully covered it with a white sheet, glancing into the missing eyes before covering them for good.

Back in the parlor, Mimi wept into Nastasia's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Blumiere said from the foot of the stairs looking into Nastasia's eyes.

"I am too, I should have told you how I felt some other time," she apologized.

Blumiere shook his head, "Passions must be spoken when incited my dear," and he kissed her on both cheeks.

She blushed, but then Blumiere turned to the rest of the residents.

"Two are dead, and we are not a step closer to solving this mystery. Nastasia, my best friend, my trusted seer, my lovely chef, my dedicated housemaid or I are to blame. Which one of you is it? Time will tell, but for now, we don't leave this parlor until this is solved, or my name isn't Count Blumiere."

They all nervously looked at one another, anticipating who the murderer may be. But death had planted his roots, and soon the walls would run red and Castle Bleck would crumble in front of their eyes.


	13. Going out with a Bang

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Twelve

When under duress, it is extremely difficult to keep a group of people in one space. They tend to pace, to walk, to exert every amount of physical energy they possess. Thus, Blumiere had quite the time keeping everyone in the parlor.

Blythe complained her back couldn't tolerate sitting on the couch, Merloon left for a drink, The General had to use the lavatory, Mimi had to prepare dinner, Blumiere's grand plan to catch a murderer failed.

With a sigh of defeat, he laid down on the couch, Nastasia scooting closer to lay a hand on his forehead. She kissed it.

Conflicted, Blumiere sat up.

"You know about us…it's just…Tippi," he regretted the words.

Nastasia nodded, "I'm still keeping our deal Blumiere, and I'm only here to help with this investigation. I'll be gone, leaving you to yourself in this castle."

The thought depressed him.

They both felt conflicted, Nastasia knowing Blumiere would never love her back and Blumiere wanting to so badly. She rested her hand on his shoulder and he drifted off to sleep.

He had a dream; Timpani appeared in his mind, floating above the couch encircled by an ethereal halo. She whispered to him, vaguely emphasizing a few motif words.

"Follow…Your…Heart," she smiled as the words parted with her soft lips. Her beauty shone in the splendor of the light and Blumiere felt peace for the first time in several years. However, the image of his departed wife began to tremor violently and he awoke with a shudder and a start.

Blythe stood over him and Nastasia.

"Monsieur Blumiere…Lady Nastasia…Quickly, come with me," her voice was lined with desperation and she waved her hand in exigency. Blumiere and Nastasia quickly followed her to the library, where they could get a private word in.

"Whatever is the matter?" Blumiere questioned as he threw open the doors to the library.

"Quickly now, don't sit. I saw something, something terrible and of grave importance!" the old woman shook with fear and worry. Nastasia grabbed her shoulders and tried to sooth the old dame but to no avail.

"Go on," Blumiere probed.

"Well, I was out in the garden, tending to the rosebushes that Lady Timpani loved so," a frightened glance of remembrance struck her face as she regretted speaking that name but Blumiere urged her to continue. "Well, I saw a figure; enter the old trophy shed you used to tend to, with your old hunting regalia. Well, I saw the murderer! I saw them remove your old flintlock pistol you used to polish and preserve all the time in the good days. Oh I remember those days," remembering the urgency of her narrative she returned to the issue at hand, "And pocketing the gun, they turned to go back in the house, and they knew not of my presence for I ducked low in the rosebush when I heard their coming, but the moonlight caught their face, Monsieur Blumiere! The murderer is…"

_BANG!_

A bullet, small, silver and deadly sped through the air and smashed into the old woman's skull. She crumpled to the floor, in a quiet and disturbing slump. The crimson blood began to pool on her forehead and it spread all along the floor, dampening the rich linen carpet and soiling Blumiere's night black boots. Nastasia screamed.

Whirling around, Blumiere saw no trace of the murderer, except for his old flintlock pistol, lying smoking on the ground. He picked up the weapon and looked around in fervor, finding no one. Then he fired the gun in the air.

The bullet cut the chain holding the grand chandelier in two, and the glass structure plummeted to the ground, sending tiny bits of glass flying in every direction upon its cacophonous impact. A woman's screams were heard, Mimi. Merloon rushed into the foyer quickly followed by General White. Blumiere strode into the foyer on the top of his toes, in a determined manner.

"Who is it!?" he demanded.

Merloon cowered at his wrath and Mimi rushed down the stairs in a huff. General White tried to soothe his companion.

"My dear boy, what has happened?"

"White? You! Could it be you?" Blumiere was foaming with rage.

"B-b-Blumiere? What is going?" Mimi stammered.

Nastasia filled that one.

"Blythe is dead. She's been shot, right in front of us in the library. Someone fired the bullet through the library doors and dropped the gun. And that someone is one of the three of you."

General White quavered with nerves, looking back and forth at Mimi and Merloon.

"Why? What is going on here!? This is madness," the old bob-omb spoke with heavy fear.

Blumiere pointed the pistol at each one of the remaining suspects, accompanying the gesture with a frigid glare, poisoning the hearts and rotting their minds. Mimi broke into a chilly sweat, Merloon let out an untimely burp and General White shook with one of the most powerful emotions of all; fear.

"This ends tonight, the five of us will eat dinner in a civilized manner but afterwards we are all going to the drawing room and solving this. No one murders three people under my roof, including my sister and lives to escape with their soul intact and their heart pumping blood. Am I understood?"

They all nodded in agreement and looked back at their ever-maddening host.

"Well then," his crass expression dissolved into one of dark hospitality, if those two can walk hand in hand. His smile widened into a toothy grin, "Dinner is served."


	14. Ignis Sanguine Cultros

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Thirteen

Blythe's body was carried up to her room, and Blumiere had carefully wrapped it in linens himself, shedding a tear over the old maid whom he had grown to trust and cherish, he was glad that she hadn't been the one behind these grisly murders. He struck a match and lit the candlestick, lighting his passage down to dinner to dine with his friends and frauds for the last time.

This mystery would be solved soon.

Upon arriving, Nastasia excused herself before dinner to wash up and the General went for a quick smoke, leaving Mimi, Blumiere and Merloon in the dining room. Nastasia had been gone for quite some time so Blumiere went upstairs to check on her, to make sure she was feeling alright. Mimi drifted off to the kitchen to collect the food for dinner, leaving Merloon in a state of drunken loneliness.

"Twas the night before last that the story begins. There once was a king whose rule never ends. He boasted his glory and bragged his strength, but the life of the king neared the end of its length. Gray! Gray! Gray! Goes the hair…hmm…what was that next part?" Merloon sang to himself, twirling the glass bottle in his hand.

He heard a noise.

"Humph! Who's there? Is it you, _murderer?" _He placed a taunting emphasis on the word.

"Why as a matter of fact, it is," a distorted voice replied.

"Bah…no…" Merloon stood, kicking his chair out from underneath him which crashed to the ground in a clatter.

The figure lunged, swinging a knife at the old sage.

"Hohoho! Let's dance!" Merloon swelled at the concept of a duel and smashed his bottle on the edge of the table. The liquid dribbled out and he held the sharp remaining piece high, "En garde!"

The figure dove again, but the old man danced away. He chuckled and slashed with his bottle, nicking the attacker on the arm.

"Old man…you surprise me," the distorted voice spoke again.

"The House of Merlon be with me! My blood courses with energy!" the old man shrieked.

The figure kicked him in the gut, sending him sprawling and knocking the glass bottle out of his hand.  
"No…n-n-no," Merloon scrambled to the grab the bottle, but the figure kicked it away. Merloon crawled like a baby, under the table, but hands grabbed his ankles and dragged him out.

"No! Please, please!" Merloon screamed.

"You should have seen this coming, you can read the future can't you?" the voice taunted.

"Yes! Just don't kill me!" the sage whimpered.

"A pity," was the lost thing Merloon heard. The knife came down on his neck, and he clutched it with horror in his eyes. His own blood coated his hands and he collapsed in a spasmodic fit. The paroxysm seized his body and he floundered for a moment, and then stilled, face down in his own life essence. He was dead.

The figure smiled, and then looked up. Footsteps. Running.

Blumiere whirled into the dining room, but no one was there. He ran to Merloon and checked his pulse.

"No! Damn it all! Why?" Blumiere cursed himself.

Mimi dropped the food, again, upon witnessing the carnage. General White and Nastasia stumbled in, and the woman folded into the bob-omb side. He comforted the girl and approached Blumiere.

"We were all out of the room. It couldn't have been any of us. Blumiere, what is happening here? Don't you understand my boy; none of us could have done this to poor old Merloon. Mimi was in the kitchen, you and Nastasia were upstairs and I was outside. The murderer…the murderer…who could it be?"

Blumiere pounded his fist into the ground next to him and wept silently. Then he stood up and walked over to Nastasia and General White and looked at them both. He looked dead in the eyes, and laid a hand on both of their shoulders.

"Who would do this?" he implored.

"I would."

Nastasia clasped her hand over her mouth and took a step back, General White's pallor defied his own last name and a cold look settled onto Blumiere's brow.

In front of this speaker, laid Mimi in a heap, her throat slit from ear to ear, lathered in the crimson stain. A maniacal laugh escaped the perpetrator and the said person smiled in delight. The identity of this felon known, Blumiere only wanted to know one more thing. Where was his family fortune, the ruby amulet? Hark, hanging from the neck of said murderer, displaying its luster in full shine, lighting up the shadowy room.

"You," Blumiere spat.

"Me," was all this depraved soul could muster to say, after killing the lovely Lisette, the pompous Pennington, the belligerent Blythe, the mountebank Merloon and the minx Mimi.

Five dead, a fortune lost and an old past resurfaced, Blumiere and Nastasia clutched hands and General White trembled behind them. For the sake of good writing, as all stories pursue, the identity of this murderer shall not be given. But think now, the answer is in plain sight. The mystery is solved, well partly, for there is still the greatest hurdle to overcome as the climax of this narrative dissolves. And that hurdle goes by the name of something we all despise to revisit and confront; the past.


	15. The End of the Beginning

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Fourteen

"Dimentio," Blumiere breathed with disgust.

The jester smiled, bowing as if he had just been introduced on stage.

"Bleck," the fiend replied.

"I don't use that name," Blumiere spat.

"I don't care what you call yourself; you're Bleck to me, Bleck, Bleck, Bleck," Dimentio sneered.

"Stop…" but Blumiere was cut off.

"Enough!" Dimentio bellowed. "Now will all of you kindly sit down in the parlor! I wish to parley with you rapscallions over my motivational desires for committing such a magnum opus of murder, hurry now!" he waved the knife menacingly.

Scurrying into the parlor, Blumiere, Nastasia and General White all sat down on the black leather couch while Dimentio paced in front of them.

"You see, Bleck," he smiled menacingly, "I've been here all along, creeping in the shadows, waiting for my moment to strike and get back at you. And then it came, your fair sister laid her tired eyes down in your secluded abode, and I knew she was your weakness, an Achilles heel to speak."

"You…" but Blumiere was cut off once again.

"Tut-tut! Let me finish," Dimentio interjected, "So I dispatched of the woman, but I couldn't help but notice this wonderful amulet resting on her neck," he fingered the ruby necklace. "It just looked so tantalizing I couldn't resist! So I was off on my merry way the next night, making preparations to head to the Underwhere so I could finally leave this ghastly realm knowing I had caused you strife yet again. Then, hark! I was descending the stairs in the dead of night when that vapid bumpty saw me! Well what was I to do! So I stuffed him in the grandfather clock, deciding to wait yet another to see how this all panned out. It wasn't going very well you see. Well, next thing you know, that old sourpuss of a woman is about to tell you of my identity so bang! Down she goes!"

Nastasia opened her mouth to stop his horrid narrative but he stabbed the knife in the air in her direction.

"Don't think I don't remember you, Nastasia. Hold your tongue, bat," the jester poked.

Looking hurt, Nastasia settled down again and Dimentio continued.

"Now I was going to let the old hermit and Mimi live, but I couldn't help it. That old drunkard needed to be put out of his misery and Mimi was just for finesse."

"You killed that poor girl for finesse?" General White gawked.

"Why yes, General, I did. Now that I've finished my tale, it is only fit to finish what I've started," Dimentio concluded. He twirled the ruby in his hand and then winked, flipping in and out of reality as he disappeared, warping into some alternate dimensional plane, via his incredulous ability.

Reappearing atop the staircase Dimentio chuckled.

"Come and get me Bleck!"

Bleck strode up the massive staircase, but as he got to about the fifth stair, the steps began to bust and explode to smithereens behind him.

"Blumiere!" Nastasia called. The man kept climbing though, outpacing the destruction behind him.

At the top of the stairs, Dimentio appeared suddenly. A wicked gleam shone in his cat-like eyes and mirth escaped his devilish tongue. Reaching out ever so slightly, he extended his arms and made contact with Blumiere's chest. The man grappled for Dimentio's arms, and the jester caught him.

"I'm not doing you any favor Bleck, I'm just making this all the more satisfying."

Realizing his intentions, a defeated look mixed with doses of fear formed on Blumiere's face. Holding him out of the vast expanse that separated the now gone stairs and the hard wood floor, Dimentio pushed away and let go of his hold on Blumiere's wrists.

Silently, like a bird descending on the warm drafts of air high in the clouds, Blumiere plummeted towards the floor, his white cape flapping behind him and tangling itself up in his long legs as he fell.

Nastasia screamed and ran forward, and General White did all he could. Dimentio laughed something sinister and with a curt, "Ciao." And a flip, he disappeared in thin air.

He did not return.

Blumiere hit the ground; the sickening snapping of his spine resonated in the empty halls. Nastasia sunk to the ground and cried out, hot tears spilling down her reddening eyes. General White sunk his head, and muttered a prayer to himself and closed Blumiere's eyes. Together, the two unclasped his cape and laid it over the former host of Castle Bleck.

Then something peculiar happened.

A woman, tall and thin, ghostly pallor, glittering like a rainbow, appeared in the castle. She bent over Blumiere and kissed his lips from above the cape, and she exploded in a dazzling spectacle of light over him, dousing his body in all the colors of the spectrum. Amazed, Nastasia only had one word to describe the phenomenon.

"Timpani," she breathed.

Upstairs, the bodies of Lisette, Pennington and Blythe lay in deep slumber. The blood still stained Lisette's beautiful raiment, the eyes were still missing from Pennington's skull and the bullet still lay in the head of Blythe. But peaceful they looked, as peaceful as possible amongst their horrific visage. Downstairs, Merloon and Mimi shared the same pool of blood as a grave and the corpses lay face down in the crimson essence. And in the foyer, Blumiere lay still as a graveyard, blessed by the spirit of Timpani and on his way to the Overthere.

Stunned from the events of the past few days, Nastasia needed help to exit the manor. She leaned on General White's supportive shoulder as the two emerged from the bloodbath with their lives intact. They trudged slowly and wearily down to the base of Mount Noir and waited in the darkness, silent and reverent until a train rolled up at the station. Not speaking, General laid a kiss on her hand, and boarded the steel monstrosity, with a look of forlorn on his face. Nastasia shook her head, knowing where she must go, and that place did not include the General.

Rolling away, the train departed for Poshley Heights and Nastasia turned on her heels.

"I'm going to find him," she vowed. "And when I do, I'm going to kill him."

She knew where she must go, and behold reader, this tale does not end yet. Yes, the tragedy of Castle Bleck has been told and Monsieur Blumiere is dead. But Nastasia has a promise to fulfill and although Dimentio may have murdered Monsieur Blumiere, there is still another person he overlook in his conquest to satiate his loathing. And although distant, forgotten, buried under redemption and love, this person departed from the cadaver that housed him, rising up in a mass of shadow and hatred, the origins of his darkness the same as before. Cheated of love, prosperity and life this man retreated back to the Tribe of Darkness.

And his name is Count Bleck.

**Part 1 of this story is over. Blumiere is dead, and Dimentio has escaped. General White returned to Poshley Heights, and Nastasia has vowed to slay the demented jester. However, Blumiere's family heirloom is still missing, and now the hatred that produced Count Bleck has returned, reforming the man that calls the Tribe of Darkness home. **


	16. Mount Noir

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Part II: The Tribe of Darkness

Chapter 16

Dear reader, I am well aware that the next events that are chronicled in this woeful tale of Monsieur Blumiere and his counterpart Count Bleck do not take place in Castle Bleck itself, no they instead take place in the darkest reaches of the galaxies. These said reaches do not lend themselves to the name of this nefarious narrative but I assure you, the root of all this sorrow stems from Castle Bleck, doing the name justice.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I can continue to weave this saga of sadness, treachery and above all, murder.

As the train rolled away, and Nastasia had made her vow, she began the long walk to Mount Noir, a small town that Castle Bleck laid on the outskirts of. This is where Mimi used to get the food from, via shipment of course, suiting the reclusive nature of the house. Blumiere had always been a misanthrope, and did not wish to send his servants all the way to town, he instead settled for quick deliveries.

Nastasia quickened her pace as her fury dissolved, and the full moon cast a sheer glimmer on the dark woman's face. Nastasia wished she were at the town already, actually, she wished she was back with Blumiere, safe, and that this whole horrifying ordeal never happened. Less than an hour ago Blumiere had fallen to his death on account of the wretched jester Dimentio. The flame in Nastasia rekindled itself, and the fire in her eyes returned, setting her back on her course and towards Mount Noir.

"Oy…Watch It! There's a woman out there!" the old man barked from his porch. It was nights like this, on a full moon, when Old Man Watchitt loved to look up at the moon and ponder the celestial bodies that surrounded him. Recently giving the title of Mayor of Yold Town to his nephew Buzzo, Watchitt had moved to Mount Noir to retire. He loved the seclusion, which allowed him to rarely yell Watch It! these days.

Let me take a moment to describe the residents of Mount Noir, a sequestered bunch, they rarely contacted one another and survived on self-efficiency. Of course, there was Watchitt and he lived by himself. Across the street was another house, black and dank like the one Watchitt possessed, where an old squeek lived, white in tone and very outlandish, this woman was a stark contrast to the town. She had come to Mount Noir many years ago seeking an elusive badge, something foreign to most in this area. Claiming her name to be Ms. Mowz, she hankered down in Mount Noir and poured over maps and books to find the faintest trace of this furtive badge, but never found any luck.

There were several others who ran the amenities of the town and some who were just residents, but like the unimportant servants of Castle Bleck (who happened to flee after the first murder) these shall not be mentioned. Only two more serve our purpose. They are both men, the first named Dr. Flintome a very wise medical expert, who had lived in Mount Noir for ages. A long white beard peppered Dr. Flintome's chest and he always wore his trademark powder blue suit and pink tie. A queer individual, Flintome stayed locked up most of the time, doing who knows what. And the fourth and final individual goes by the name of Sir Noir, supposedly a descendant of the royal clan that had established this once-renowned town several hundred years ago. Sir Noir thought he was the center of attention at all times, and his long black hair surrounded his broad shoulders like a wall, making him appear very gallant.

Well, as Nastasia stumbled into Mount Noir, Old Man Watchitt hustled as quickly as he could to the ill-fortuned girl. She nearly collapsed is his arms, and Watchitt struggled carrying her. As a light went off inside his aged brain, he barely made it to Dr. Flintome's home without dropping her. With an exhausted huff, Watchitt knocked on the door, using the ornate brass lion that decorated the plainly wooden door. A series of locks could be heard unlatching, and the door swung open, revealing the aged medic in his powder blue suit.

"Dr. Flintome, this woman came out of the darkness and into town, she needs medical assistance," Watchitt instructed.

Dr. Flintome nodded, and scratched his snowy beard.

"Well bring her in then, and mind the floor, I have rats."

Carefully stepping into the filthy abode, Watchitt plopped Nastasia down on a cot, while Dr. Flintome assessed her vitals. After a while, Nastasia awoke and looked around her with fear.

"Where am I?" she questioned with zeal.

"Somewhere safe now my friend," was all Watchitt had to say and understanding his message, Nastasia drifted back to her rest.

**I know there wasn't much horror in this one, but I have to set the stage first. What will become of Nastasia in Mount Noir? Will she carry out the vow she made concerning Dimentio? What new horror will befall the citizens of Mount Noir, including the cantankerous Watchitt and the mysterious Dr. Flintome? And what has become of Count Bleck, the shadowy apparition that emerged from the lifeless body of Blumiere? Patience is required for these answers, as only time will tell. **


	17. The Good Doctor

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter 17

Nastasia awoke with a start, a caterwaul escaping her parched lips. Trembling, she settled back down and Watchitt busted into the room, rushing to her side.

"Is everything alright? That was quite the scream," the old man questioned.

Nastasia assured him everything was alright and shakily got out of her bed, Watchitt made a slow motion for her to follow him as he led her to a small dining room where Dr. Flintome was waiting with some food and drink for the poor woman.

"Sit," the doctor instructed, and Nastasia followed his command. She knew she had to get out here though, escape, she started looking for possible ways away from these old men.

"Watch It! It's mighty late, I best go on back now," and with a quick nod to Dr. Flintome, Old Man Watchitt departed, slamming the door behind him, which disrupted the still and musty air of Mount Noir. Dr. Flintome stretched his hands and studied Nastasia.

"A curious case, you are," Dr. Flintome murmured.

Nastasia didn't like the way he eyed her.

"A woman just stumbles down out of the blue, or the black I should say," he let out a chortle. It sounded awkward compared to his grave persona and flamboyant raiment.

"Very curious indeed," he remarked, his eyebrows furrowing.

He motioned at the glass of water that was perspiring on the table, "Drink, please," he offered.

She didn't drink.

Dr. Flintome rose, pushing back his chair and turning to face the window, his back turned to Nastasia.

"Why don't you tell me who you really are, and why you are so spooked," he said without turning around.

Nastasia gulped, this man had no business in her affairs, but she felt something strange, almost a pull that he was giving off.

It reminded her of Blumiere.

"I better go," Nastasia said abruptly.

"But you've only just woken up, and I'm dying to know about your story," he placed emphasis on the word dying.

Something wasn't right, and as Dr. Flintome ran his fingers down his blizzard of a beard, Nastasia felt a sense of dread creep up her spine.

The Train to Poshley Heights rolled with a stop and its sole passenger stepped off the train. Quickening his pace, he nearly broke into a run to get back to his home. The death and misery he had just witnessed was fresh in his mind and he knew his wife was probably worried sick about where he was.

Then he saw a figure.

Down by the end of the street, it was a tall man, with a cane. The shadowy figure looked as if it was coming closer and General White froze. He whirled around and suddenly something heavy hit him in the head, hard.

He collapsed, and a bag slipped over his head. This was the last thing he remembered before he went out cold.

Dr. Flintome was creeping Nastasia out, but she couldn't help but feel he was a piece to her puzzle of finding Dimentio. Her palms were sweaty and she reached for the glass of water, bringing it to her lips it slipped in her clammy grasp and the glass shattered on the cold tile floor.

"Whoops," Dr. Flintome laughed.

Nastasia didn't like his nonchalant attitude about the glass. Neither one of them motioned to pick it up and Dr. Flintome sat back down again, with celerity and purpose.

"Let me get to the point, I know very well what is wrong with you, you've seen a murder. Back in my glory days, I was a psychiatrist so if you excuse my overbearing manner I'm actually quite a normal person. But I know when someone has seen a murder, several at that; I'm willing to wager you're the only survivor."

"One of two," Nastasia breathed without looking him in the eyes.

Dr. Flintome waggled a finger, "Hmm, precisely, now I'm willing to lend you my help if you can help me. I'm suspecting this murder isn't dead, or you'd be subject to grief not paranoia. Do you know this murderer's name?"

"Dimentio," Nastasia spat, placing her trust in the queer doctor.

He froze. The name pulsed with memory in the heart of the doctor, an image of a young woman appeared in his mind.

"_Oh, he's so good to me though, I can't help but see him."_

"_Ma'am, he doesn't exist, you have to defeat this phantom, and he's in your mind."_

"_Actually I'm not."_

_Behind the younger Dr. Flintome and his patient appeared a jester clad in purple and yellow. _

"_I am Dimentio, master of dimensions! And I am certainly not a figment of dear Lisette's imagination."_

_Dr. Flintome froze in his seat, not sure what he was witnessing._

"_Be gone demon!" he commanded._

"_At your request," the jester cackled and with a snap of his fingers he was gone._

_The patient, Lisette, smiled._

"It can't be…" Dr. Flintome breathed.

"Do you know him?" Nastasia asked.

"Quickly, let me gather some things and we must leave here, if he's after you, well he could be anywhere!" Dr. Flintome sounded exasperated.

"He's not after me doctor, I'm after him."

Dr. Flintome froze again, "A chase?" he mused.

"A chase," and Nastasia smiled for the first time since she arrived in Poshley Heights to fetch General White.

"That jester ruined my reputation, I tried for decades to convince my colleagues that dimensional manipulators existed but no one would have it, only Lisette and I knew, and she disappeared after our encounter with him."

"You know Lisette?" Nastasia asked, bewildered.

"Yes, she was a patient of mine, why? Do you?"

"I knew her," Nastasia said with a tremor in her voice, "I'm sorry doctor, but Lisette is dead."

Dr. Flintome was shocked, goose bumps peppered his arms.

"He killed her didn't he; he killed her because she knew he existed."

"Well he wanted to get back at a rival of his, and Lisette was this rival's sister, but I suppose his wish to stay hidden could be a motive behind the murders."

"More than one? Who else has the foul beast killed?"

"Too many," Nastasia nearly broke down.

Noticing her intensifying grief, Dr. Flintome ended the discussion with a solid vow,

"Well then, I will help you track down this killer, whether we find him or not, I believe it's my duty as a friend of Lisette's and a witness to this beast's existence. Let me grab some things and I'll be ready."

Happiness filled Nastasia at the thought of a companion; she knew she couldn't do this alone. Deep in her heart, she reaffirmed her desire to vanquish the fiend Dimentio, and avenge her beloved Blumiere.

But something lurked in the shadows of Dr. Flintome's home, a shadow of a soul, a splinter of a shade, a man of many miseries and misfortunes. He solemnly watched as Dr. Flintome and Nastasia stepped out the door and with a cackle to himself he whispered.

"Come to me Nastasia, come to me and bring the good doctor, for where you're going, there is sure to be blood."


	18. Revelation

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Eighteen

As Nastasia and Dr. Flintome left the premises, Sir Noir was in his study, pouring over books that recounted that founding of Mount Noir and its ancestral lineage. Sir Noir was espoused with literature, basking in its finest works and regales of history and poetry, his two favorite subjects. On a dark night such as this, he read only with the assistance of a wax candle lamp and the chilly air seemed to create feeling as if this study was isolated from the rest of the world.

As his eyelids drooped languidly, Sir Noir closed the document entitled, "_The Trivial House- the Expulsion of the Noirs from Royalty, Volume Six." _Noir took in a disappointed breath, loathing his great-great grandfather, the man responsible for the exile of the Noirs. Sir Noir arose, with a sigh and carried the candlestick with him up the stairs and towards his bedroom.

He stopped.

At the end of the hallway hunched a figure, draped in a dark robe. The lachrymose sounds of weeping emitted from this stranger, and fear possessed Sir Noir.

"Who's there?" Sir Noir called.

The figure didn't move and Sir Noir approached it with caution. He took a step forward, and then another, the figure on the floor remained hunched.

Then suddenly, it sprung up and lunged at the man. Brandishing a knife, the figure hacked at Sir Noir's throat, but the man rolled out of the way with a scream. Scrambling to his feet he felt a searing pain emerging from his heels, and he collapsed with a mortified grunt. Blood gushed from his heels like a river and pain twisted itself onto the man's face. The figure circled around so it stood in front of him and he dropped the black robe.

"Who…a-a-re you?" Sir Noir spluttered.

"Ah, I believe my identity is the least of your worries if you wish to get out of this alive Sir Noir. I'm going to ask you one question, and I better get a straight answer. Did you see a young woman come into town yesterday? It would have been in the middle of night and her whereabouts are of grave importance to me."

"I-I-I don't know, please…please don't kill me!" the man importuned.

The attacker shook his head with a tsk-tsk sound. "That's not the answer I was looking for Sir Noir."

He raised the knife high and brought it down in between Sir Noir's forehead, splitting it like a block of wood. The life spilled from Sir Noir's head and pooled around his face and he coughed in his own blood. A paroxysm seized the hapless victim and with a twitch he was still.

Dimentio frowned and turned around,

"I knew I should have killed her, I thought she was too delicate, but now fire has filled her veins and her sight is set on me. Well, I will give her quite the show then."

And with a flip, Dimentio vanished.

Peering out her window, Miss Mowz noticed the duo sneaking off into the night.

"Hmm? What are we up to doctor?" the squeek mused.

She noticed a map in the doctor's hand and the pair looked up towards the Crags. Her legends and fables had told her that the Crags housed the badge she was looking for, an ultimately rare one.

"That map must tell them where the badge is!" she incorrectly deduced aloud.

Not wanting to let someone else grab her prey she had pined for so many years to have, she opened up her window and snuck to the ground.

"Over my dead body will they get it first, I'll just wait for them to find it and then I'll sneak up on them and snatch it! Yes, that's what I'll do indeed!" Making this vapid vow, the vain burglar stole off into the night, with hopes of finding the badge she so desired.

"So what are we specifically looking for in the Crags?" Nastasia questioned of the doctor.

Dr. Flintome replied with a shudder, "I believe the only thing that can counter such a dimensional wizard as Dimentio would be the power of an ancient one and if we are dealing with black magic then we seek the Tribe of Darkness."

Nastasia knew about the Tribe of Darkness from her service under Blumiere. She knew he was the supposed last member of the race, but that was just a supposition.

The moon slowly waned and the dark clouds obscured the path the two companions traveled along. Nastasia, feeling a bit frightened, grabbed onto Dr. Flintome's shoulder to guide her through the black void. They came upon the outskirts of town.

"Noir Manor," Dr. Flintome said with awe.

However, this manor paled in comparison to the grandiose of Castle Bleck, so Nastasia was not impressed. No a different feeling altogether engulfed her heart as she gazed at the front gates of Noir Manor. Terror.

For on the topmost pike of the front gate, a head was speared. Dr. Flintome pointed aghast and crumpled to the floor, tarnishing his powder blue dress pants. Nastasia touched his shoulder and with concern asked, "Who was this man?"

"Sir Noir…," the old man huffed, "He was sort of a big deal around town, a figure to look up to amongst this ragamuffin town," the doctor clenched his fists, "Dimentio did this…"

Nastasia struggled to get Dr. Flintome up off the ground, but eventually he came around and the two trudged off into the night, arriving at the steep gorge known as the cracks.

Jagged rocks poked up among a deep ravine, each side was peppered with caves that had been dug into the cliff by primordial denizens. It would have been quite a beauty if it weren't for the gruesome circumstances that haunted the pair. Taking a step down the steep inclines, and then another, Nastasia and Dr. Flintome began the trek to seek out the Tribe of Darkness.

That is if it existed at all.

General White awoke in a cell, the air was dank and he could barely see around him. To one side of him was an empty cell and to his right was a long wooden table scattered with pictures and documents on certain individuals. There was a corkboard on the wall and General White was beset with shivers when he noticed its contents.

At the bottom of the board was a picture of Timpani with a line drawn to a picture of Monsieur Blumiere on the right side. Timpani's line also connected to a picture of the grand wizard Merlon who had a line connected to the drunkard Merloon. A picture of Mimi and some large brute with a beard that General White had never seen were under Blumiere and a picture of Nastasia was off to the left of Blumiere.

Nastasia's picture had several red circles around it, scribbled furiously in a seemingly blinding rage.

Other pictures dotted the corkboard, Blythe was pictured near Mimi and Lisette was on top of Blumiere. And then there were several individuals he didn't recognize.

The first was a short man who resembled a cloud, with a long white beard descending from his chin that graced the edges of the floor. A set of radiant wings with the hues of the rainbows gave this man a benevolent and heavenly appearance. Next to him was the picture of a dark woman with a long pointy purple crown that was tipped with black at its pinnacle. She looked very grim and did not wear a smile in her picture.

Another individual General White didn't recognize was a man who resembled Merlon very closely but wore black robes and looked much more shadowy and suspicious than his wizened counterpart. There was also a picture of an old man who rested on a cloud, his beard was long and he was frocked with red and yellow robes with a crumpled hat situated on his skull.

And then something sent a chill up General White's back, for in the middle of the corkboard lay a larger picture of a man clad in red and blue with a red cap situated at the top of his head. An "M" emblazoned the cap and the man's curled mustache brushed the tops of his cheekbones. The number of circles around this individual seemed to dwarf the emphasis placed on Nastasia.

"Mario…" General White breathed.

Dimentio rested on the roof of Noir Manor, stretching out his arms and legs and soaking up the frigid night air. His cool breath could be seen when he exhaled and he musically hummed to himself with glee. A knife rested in between his finger and twirled it around his hands like a baton and he smirked to himself.

"Don't you worry my sweet Mario; your crimes will not go unpaid. First I rid of the man who sentenced me to his service and then his pesky assistant. But when she is gone, I will come for you Mario and finally exterminate every last little obstruction to my grand scheme."


	19. The Ancient One

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Nineteen

Nastasia and Dr. Flintome approached the Crags with caution, not wanting to slip on the steep stone. The doctor extended his arm for the tiny woman to cling to, and together they made the descent down the caves that were dug into the walls. The gravel loosened and skipped down the sides, tumbling into the abysmal gorge below. The night sky made the scene all the more frightening, as Nastasia did not wish to plummet to her death.

Like Blumiere.

Arriving at the base of a cave, Nastasia heard a faint flutter. It sounded like the floundering of a cape in the wind, and she swore a light draught brushed her cheek. However, that was impossible. They were in a cave.

Or so she thought.

Miss Mowz silently descended the steps, preparing herself to leap at her attacker. Sniffing the air, she could smell treasure. Turning a rocky corner, a gust of wind blew by and hit her like a brick. The air was knocked out her stomach and she fumbled at the rock, and her foot began to lose its place.

Then the unthinkable happened.

A boulder, of a behemoth size, rocked above the slipping squeek. She let out a terrified whimper, and the boulder rocked off the edge and flew her direction. A bead of sweat dropped down her brow and as she flailed wildly to get a good grip on the cliff face, the boulder made contact.

"Eeeeeeeee!" the squeek squeaked and she fell into the bottomless chasm. Her final scream alerted Nastasia and Dr. Flintome who turned on their heels. The draught picked up and Dr. Flintome correctly asserted,

"I don't think we are in a cave."

Taking a wary step into the dark, the pair heard a faint whisper on the wind and they twisted their necks to get a better view of whatever perpetrator lay in the gloomy corridor.

Except they were the perpetrators.

And then a figure, black as night rose up out of the shadows and wrapped Nastasia and Dr. Flintome in its midnight cape. The pair shrieked, but the assailant silenced them with a hush and the body quickly took them through the tunnel and they opened up in a large dome.

The dome was more a semi-circle made of rock that had cut-ins in the wall that looked like sleeping places. The room was small and a few tables were arranged in disarray that were covered in notes and books. A glass case rested near the tables and a black book lay inside of it.

"Oh…it can't be…," Nastasia stammered when the figure deposited them near the book.

"But it is," the figure hissed.

"What in God's name are you?" Dr. Flintome probed.

"The one you seek, a…ancient," the cloaked figure replied.

And suddenly, the darkness shook itself off the figure, revealing a white top hat, a white cloak and a glass monocle accompanied by a black cane.

"No!" Nastasia screeched.

The ancient one tipped the top hat and raising its head, the differences between it and Blumiere were distinguishable. A purple face loosely hung in between the cloak and hat, its cosmic appearance was adorned with a pair of yellow maniacal eyes and a gaping pointy mouth.

"I am not the one you long for, Nastasia," the man breathed.

"I know who you are," she stated definitively.

"Count Bleck," they said at the same time.

As General White soaked up the somber aura of the prison room, he reflected on the horrible information he had picked up in his captivity. Dimentio was after Mario, the only one who was able to defeat him. The Mushroom Kingdom was so far away though; the General had no clue what to do. He couldn't do anything though, not while he was captive.

Suddenly the door near the tables flung open, and Dimentio strode in.

"Awake are we General?" the jester chuckled.

The bob-omb was fuming, why had the demented fool taken him captive?

"You are not a threat to me," Dimentio stated, "You are bait. I should have disposed of that infernal woman when I had the chance, but now your little friend Nastasia," he spoke the word with loathing, "is stirring up all sorts of trouble. She's looking for me you know? Looking, for me! Ha-ha! I have already found her!"

He studied the old bob-ombs eyes.

"What do you think of that General?"

"I think you're a menace," the old man stammered.

"Well naturally," Dimentio laughed. "But look past my exterior, what do you see?"

"A demon," General White spat.

"The exterior! Listen, knave!" Dimentio kicked the cell in rage and cursed his foolhardiness.

"You will have a friend soon General, just wait. This hellhole is going to become quite lively once again," Dimentio cackled.

"Again?" General White thought to himself.

Dimentio winked at the old bob-omb, "Ciao."

General White let out a sigh as he returned to his isolation.

"How did you come to be?" Nastasia implored.

"Spawned once more by hate, hate for that jester and hate for my pride. Or shall I say Blumiere's. We are two different entities, Blumiere and I. Together we make one, the portions of light and dark. We can never be killed; even the flames of purgatory have no effect on our tortured soul. Everyone thinks it such a blessing to be immortal."

"But its torture," Dr. Flintome finished.

"Yes," Count Bleck sighed. "And it is true, the last of my race only I have the power to seal Dimentio away back into the Underwhere. But I'm afraid that's going to be difficult."

Nastasia frowned, 'Why is that?" she asked.

A look of heavy grief pressed itself onto Blumiere's face.

"The Underwhere has been compromised," he revealed.

Queen Jaydes struggled against the ropes that bound her arms and legs. She had been in this box for what seemed like a day, and her head throbbed with searing pain.

This is what she could remember.

She was sitting on her throne, presiding over the affairs of the Underwhere, the lovely River Twygz babbled at her side. Then a strange court jester seemed to appear out of thin air, his purple and yellow robes weren't as distracting as his beady yellow eyes. He bowed to her and with a wicked smile he snapped his fingers.

Then she was here.

Finally, the box opened and Queen Jaydes sucked in the precious air. With a grunt, she was thrown onto a cold and dank floor and she whined in annoyance and frustration.

"Hush my sweet queen, hush, I wish you no harm, only my hospitality and wish to entertain."

He ripped the rope from in between in her teeth and discarded her bindings. Swinging the cell door shut, he barely escaped before Queen Jaydes threw herself up against the bars.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "King Grambi will here of this! The Underwhere knows I am missing. Whoever you are, you're a damned fool!" She cursed the jester over and over but he laughed and closed the door.

With a sigh of defeat Queen Jaydes sunk to the floor. Then a voice piped up, elderly and thick with a foreign accent she found the voice intriguing, but it came on friendly nonetheless.

"His name is Dimentio," and elderly white bob-omb said as he stepped into the light of his cell.

"And he's attempting to take over the world."


	20. Crossing the Overthere

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Twenty

Nastasia was unsure whether or not she could trust Count Bleck. He had been born again under the sign of hatred, something she was not content with. However, she knew that he was the only one who could help her take down Dimentio, whether she liked it or not.

After recounting the sacking of the Underwhere by Dimentio, Count Bleck further explained that the kingdom of death had run amok due to the disappearance of Queen Jaydes, the ruler of the Underwhere. Her husband, King Grambi of the Overthere was in a fit to find her, and Count Bleck believed that going to see him was a must.

"But how do we reach the Overthere? Isn't that a place where only the dead go?" Nastasia had questioned.

"Well yes and no," Count Bleck replied. "The only way for a non-dead being to access the Overthere is by the Overthere Stair. However, it is quite complicated to perform the rite of passage required to summon the stairway. It must be done at the final moment of either the rising or setting sun, and one must simply close their eyes and concentrate very hard on clearing their mind. That is the tricky part, only one with a clear mind can enter the Overthere. That coupled with the timing makes it exceptionally difficult to do."

The trio agreed to wait in the cavern until the sunrise, which is when Nastasia began to pour over the contents of the Dark Prognosticus that was laying the glass case by the tables.

"An interesting work yes?" Count Bleck asked.

"Interesting enough for you to end all worlds over apparently," Nastasia replied with a temper.

"I was not myself, I was blinded by hate," Count Bleck countered.

"That is all you are," she spat, "A product of hate itself. You can't fool me Bleck, you are no Blumiere." With that she closed the book and carried herself to the other side of the room.

It was true, her assumption of Bleck's nature. The count was a manifestation of Blumiere's loathe for Dimentio and his remorse for not protecting Lisette. Ultimately, Blumiere's hate for himself created Count Bleck. The two were linked by the incessant desire of Blumiere's to hold himself up to a golden standard. Blumiere blamed himself for the murder of Lisette, and his grave regret for not being able to stop her murder made him hate himself, hate Dimentio and hate the world. This in turn spawned Count Bleck, whose original creation was delved from his hatred for his father and the fact that he couldn't be with his beloved Timpani.

Count Bleck approached Nastasia, wanting to tell her something he had held back, but Dr. Flintome spoke from the mouth of the tunnel.

"I see light," he murmured.

Quickly, Count Bleck and Nastasia strode over to Dr. Flintome, Nastasia stopped to but the Dark Prognosticus back.

"We may need it," Count Bleck advised.

Shooting Dr. Flintome a furtive glance, questioning Count Bleck's want for the book, she decided to give the book to Dr. Flintome who put it in his medicine bag.

"For safekeeping," she said with a smug glance at Count Bleck.

Pouring out from the mouth of the tunnel, the triad of companions stood at the edge of the Crags. The sun just began to peep out over the amber edges of the resplendent horizon. Casting a golden luster over the puffy pink clouds, the scene was mesmerizing. They almost forgot their purpose.

"Now!" Count Bleck instructed as the luminous rays of the sun penetrated the wet morning skyline.

Dr. Flintome cleared his mind easily, suppressing all thoughts quickly to his background in psychology. Count Bleck was a straight being of emotion, his thoughts not muddled with conflict or situational outcome. Nastasia however found trouble with clearing her mind, and the thoughts of the previous day's events stirred fresh in her mind. At the last moment, she was able to push them away and when she opened her eyes she found herself at the foot of a rainbow set of stairs.

"The Overthere," she whispered.

"Excuse me?" Queen Jaydes breathed vehemently.

"You heard me woman, ten-four! I may be old but my senses are sharp!" General White affirmed his spooky assertion.

"You can't be serious? That excuse of a jester? Why…" she was cut off.

"He murdered my dear friend Blumiere, and a host of others. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but this excuse of a jester abducted you and judging by my military training the amount of time I've spent in here would allow me to deduce the fact that he pulled such a stunt of bravado in broad daylight. He controls the dimensions for the sake of God!" the bob-omb's face flushed with exasperation.

"Perhaps…no, I won't have it! We have to get out of here!" Jaydes whined.

Ignoring her plea, General White continued.

"Furthermore, judging by the way the map on that corkboard is drawn I'm going to say the sagely fellow you're connected to is your husband? It appears to me that Dimentio is after him."

Jaydes turned her head to the corkboard, having to strain to see it from her cell. She noticed the intricate connections from person to person. About half of the people on the map had a large X through their photograph.

"Are those people…dead?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, and although we aren't crossed out yet, I assume it's only a matter of time."

This comment made Jaydes stomach churn and she repressed the thought of dying in such a horrid place. Looking back at the map she noticed the fellow in the dead middle looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that man in the middle…" she trailed off.

"Mario?" General White finished her question.

She nodded and General White confirmed her suspicion.

"He's taking out his topmost resistors. If they're gone, then there is no one to stop him," Queen Jaydes deduced.

She turned to look back at General White.

'My husband and I…we rule over the domains of life and death, after death. The sinless live for eternity and bask in the glories of my husband King Grambi. I rule over the lesser dead, those who did not live a life of purity and selflessness, I am Queen Jaydes."

Realizing her magnificence, General White apologized for his earlier outburst.

Pardoning his outrage, for he did not know his position, Queen Jaydes made it her objective to seek subjectivity out of someone even in her imprisonment. She continued,

"I believe, that this Dimentio you speak, the vile jester, plans to either imprison or eliminate, and I pray it is the former of the two, in order to establish his command over both the heavens and the hells. If my husband and I are put out of commission, and dear Mario is terminated, then no one can oppose his will."

At this suggestion, General White tensed up.

"He would not only control life…"

"But death as well," Queen Jaydes finished.

Beginning the climb up the Overthere Stair wasn't so bad, but when they reached about the thousandth step, Nastasia wished an elevator had been installed.

"By Jove, I think I see the end!" Dr. Flintome exclaimed felicitously. Count Bleck merely nodded in agreement, and the three of them emerged at a wide pearl door. Two nimbis stood at the gate, armed with spears crafted from refulgent pearls.

"State your business," the smaller of the nimbis demanded.

"The Overthere is on lockdown to all souls until Queen Jaydes is returned!" the stockier of the two stated with force.

Suddenly the doors swung open and a small old man with a beard that dwarfed Dr. Flintome's glided over to the three newcomers.

"Oh Svebi and Thorbi are just riled up from the recent news, although it saddens me deeply that my wife is missing, the powers that be will not keep her from me for long. Alas, I cannot dispel all souls from my gates, and you are no exception. So what brings you to the Overthere?"

Count Bleck attempted to fill this one, but Nastasia intervened.

"We are on the trail of the murderous thief Dimentio, the master of dimensions. He murdered the Lord, Monsieur Blumiere and his sister Madam Lisette. Dimentio is also responsible for the murder of several of Blumiere's servants and Merloon of the House of Merlon, along with Sir Noir of Mount Noir's Noir Manor. We are led to believe that he is also responsible for the disappearance of Queen Jaydes of the Underwhere. We are here to prevent any damage that is intended for you, King Grambi of the Overthere."

The decree was highly formal and Count Bleck was taken aback at her level headedness. Dr. Flintome nodded, as if to confirm any suspicions about the text.

"Hmm. Well, I do believe I am already aware of the unsettling news you bring, although the identity of the malefactor is news to me. Please, come inside and let us discuss this disconcerting furor of events in a more suitable environment. And please, ignore the souls, without Queen Jaydes' presence, they are rather…lost."

Dimentio chuckled from a high up spot. The warm rays of the mid-morning speared his back and he slid his mask off, to enjoy the full warmth of the splendid sun.

"Earth is such a pleasant dimension," he thought aloud. "Such a pity I must destroy it. For Count Bleck was too weak to carry out the prophecy of the Dark Prognosticus and like it or not, a prophecy must be fulfilled."


	21. The Fire Awakened

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Twenty One

The ceramic tea cup gently left the hand of King Grambi as he placed it down on the crochet doily in front of him. He gently patted his lips with a delicate white linen and with a look of content that soured by the second, he addressed the group before him.

"Count, Doctor, Ma'am," it seemed ill-fitting for the king to address the group by these titles, "I believe we are dealing with not a global crisis, but a universal one," Nastasia narrowed her brow as he elaborated, "Dimentio is collecting the guardians of this realm and the others, in order to eliminate any threat of arrogation. Once he accomplishes this, there will be no one in his way to rule over all domains."

Nastasia sat up and said, "What makes you think this?"

King Grambi started again, "Well, he has murdered Lord Blumiere, and kidnapped Queen Jaydes. Blumiere ruled over all dimensions at one point, and the only one who could match Dimentio in terms of dimensional prowess. With him out of the way, taking over dimensions unopposed will be a cake walk. Furthermore, nabbing Jaydes puts the flimsier of the souls without a leader, and if he fills Jaydes' shoes, then they will flock to him."

"An undead army?" Dr. Flintome pondered.

"Precisely," King Grambi replied. "However, he has overlooked Count Bleck here. Dimentio spawned Count Bleck out of hate, and if the Count were to eliminate that source of hatred he could restore himself to his own body and reclaim the dimensional throne. This however, requires Dimentio to be dealt with, and more than likely be imprisoned in the Underwhere for eternity."

"He was," Nastasia spat.

King Grambi furrowed his brow, "That was a mistake, there was no way we could prevent his escape, it was almost as if he had an outside source free him."

Count Bleck looked up, "So if Dimentio is killed, I will merge with the lifeless Blumiere and recreate his life essence?"

"In theory," Dr. Flintome answered.

King Grambi nodded and rose out of his chair, crossing over to a nearby cloud. Pointing out to the mass of nimbis that swarmed the streets he said, "I cannot let these pure souls suffer, the jester must be dealt with."

Nastasia looked at the godly man, grief clouding her eyes.

"Indeed he must," she breathed. Nastasia silently shed a single tear, the possibility of Blumiere coming back hit her like a brick in that moment and she hushed her tears with the thought of seeing him again.

Her love for him burned, how desperately she wanted to be with the man who had no eye for her, who loved his dear Timpani.

Unless.

"King Grambi?" she called.

The old man teetered towards her and spoke with an ancient rasp, "Yes," the words held back tears. King Grambi missed Jaydes and could only think of the harm the malevolent freak would do to her.

"If Blumiere is revived, will he have any memory?"

Supposing it a travesty King Grambi replied with a shudder, "No, my dear."

It was possible. She could secure Blumiere's love at last. However, she looked over at Count Bleck, who seemed to be casting a look of grave impatience down at her, and his yellow eyes beamed out from behind the brim of his top hat.

And in that moment she knew.

The last member of the Tribe of Darkness would not give up his ephemeral existence so easily. If he were only a half of a man, he enjoyed his lapses of life and with Blumiere out of the picture.

He could reclaim his throne.

Flipside was quiet; all the citizens snuggled in their beds, dreaming of whatever was sent their way. But not Merlon, he was busy pouring over a copy of _Falling Stars: The Storming of Star Haven. _The book recounted the time that Bowser transformed all the star sprites into cards and banished them throughout the kingdoms. Merlon was particularly interested in the deities of Star Haven and the religious preface the book presented. It was at this moment the light on his candle blew out and he looked up.

"There is no draught in here," he thought.

Suddenly, hands seized him by the throat and banged his aging head on the desk. Blood trickled out and dropped dark stains on the pages of the volume. Fatigue seized him and he struggled to grab his attacker's hands but to no avail. He was thrown on the floor in the dark and a flaring pain doubled his guts over as he was kicked in the stomach.

"Oh…" the old sage breathed.

"What do you know about the Dark Prognosticus?" an insidious voice asked.

"What…d-d-o…you…m-m-m-mean?" Merlon struggled for air.

"You know what I mean fool! Speak!" the voice snarled.

"It hasn't been seen for years," Merlon choked out.

"Then where is it?"

"L-l-legend tells of…The Crags, the r-r-r-resting place of the T-Tribe of D-D-Darkness," Merlon coughed up blood.

He was seized by the collarbone and he felt the sensation of spinning. His stomach lurched and his eyes crossed. When the sensation intensified Merlon felt he was going to die. Then suddenly, it stopped and he looked around, sensing he was outside.

The old man looked up and saw his attacker's face for the first time. He wore the clothes of a court jester but his eyes, they were bright yellow and an evil sneer crossed this demon's hidden face.

"Find it," he snarled and with a snap of his fingers he disappeared.

Merlon was stranded and as he looked up into the sky, he knew there was no hope. Slowly and shakily he rose and began his descent into the Crags.

"By Jove, when will we get out of here?" Queen Jaydes whined.

"Time will tell," General White quietly replied.

Suddenly, the door to the dank prison swung open and Dimentio strolled in.

"You demon!" Jaydes spat, "Let me out!" She threw herself up against the bars.

"Patience my Queen, patience," Dimentio said, but more like an order.

"What do you want with us?" General White implored.

"Well Jaydes here will be locked up for a good long while until I decide to throw her out," at this reference to mere trash Jaydes scoffed, but Dimentio continued, "But you General, you are bait."

King Grambi turned back to the group, "I have arranged a nimbi escort to guide you to the edge of the Overthere and assure you safe return to your world."

Nastasia nodded with gratuity and whispered to Dr. Flintome, "I don't think we're out of this yet."

A quizzical look crossed the doctor's face and in reply he said, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, there's something Grambi hasn't told us."

"When does this escort arrive?" Count Bleck questioned.

"Now," Grambi replied.

Suddenly the door to Grambi's private chamber burst open and Dimentio strolled in.

A mortified King Grambi shrieked with desperation, "What have you done?" Referring to the blood stained knife Dimentio held in his right hand.

"I thought your guests here would enjoy the stroll, no need for an envoy," Dimentio stated with malice.

Nastasia backed away towards the other side of the room, her feet trailing on the wispy clouds. King Grambi dashed over to the door and came face to face with Dimentio, while Dr. Flintome and Count Bleck remained in their current positions, faces convoluted with a thousand questions.

"You are a disgrace!" King Grambi exclaimed with disgust.

"Do I offend you? My apologies," Dimentio mocked with a bestial satire.

"Why do you do what you do?" King Grambi pondered aloud.

"An excellent question," Dimentio began to stroll around the room casually, waving his knife at King Grambi, while the audience of his act watched in anticipation of what he planned to do.

"Currently your wife is my prisoner, so I would keep a civil tongue," Dimentio advised.

"To the Underwhere with you," Grambi spat.

"Oh that's exactly where I intend to go," Dimentio laughed maniacally. "I have eyes and ears everywhere, possessing mastery over dimensions and whatnot. Your conversation intrigued me and I was quite perplexed when you mentioned Bleck here could reform the humanistic rudiments of the dear departed Blumiere."

Adding with a laugh, "But they're both Bleck to me."

Count Bleck strode forward at this point and knocked Dimentio to the ground with a forceful push. Toppling over and catching himself before he hit the ground, Dimentio sprang up almost instantly and slashed his knife at his attacker.

"I took you in!" Count Bleck yelled with ferocity.

Dimentio noticed the fire in his eyes.

"I treated you like a son!"

"Like a slave!" Dimentio countered.

"I housed you!"

"You imprisoned me!"

"I trusted you!"

"You made a mistake."

Nastasia drew her breath in like acid at this, and her eyes stung with Dimentio's treachery. Had he actually never considered them as his allies?

She didn't care anymore; at least that's what she told herself. Her sanity was a necessity and she couldn't risk it on some deluded madman of a jester.

Count Bleck slammed his hand on the table that separated Dimentio and himself.

Wildly, Dimentio lunged for Nastasia, not expecting the maneuver of effrontery, she screamed as he pulled her by her hair and dragged her across the room. King Grambi quavered in fear by his desk, and Count Bleck rushed forward but Dr. Flintome held him back.

"What are you doing?" Count Bleck questioned in a demanding tone.

King Grambi began to sob, seeming out of place for an individual of his godly appearance.

"I'm so sorry," he whimpered, "I'm so sorry."

Confused and betrayed Count Bleck met eyes with Nastasia.

Dimentio put the knife to her throat.

"Now, if I don't get the exact location of the Dark Prognosticus, this little harlot, that excuse of a king and you my dear Bleck will all be dead within the minute."

"What do you want with the Dark Prognosticus?" Bleck asked.

Nastasia gave Bleck a look that said, "Don't tell him," but Bleck gave in.

"I repeat, where is it?" Dimentio asked.

"In the bag," Bleck motioned to Dr. Flintome's bag.

Dimentio dropped the girl and she scrambled to the other side of the room, breathing in air as if she had been deprived of it for much longer than a few seconds.

Dimentio fished the book out and smiled at its marvelous cover, the black text radiated negative energy and the jester turned to his audience.

Dr. Flintome released his hold on Bleck, "I didn't want you to do anything stupid," the doctor breathed and Bleck smiled, "Then you're not going to like what I'm about to do."

Taking his cane and snapping it in half, Bleck threw half of the wooden shaft at Dimentio. The broken edge stabbed him in the shoulder and he howled in pain.

"Damn you Bleck, Damn you!" the jester cursed and dropped the book.

Nastasia scrambled for it, but Dimentio stomped on her fingers and she recoiled. King Grambi in the middle of it all ran forward and grabbed Nastasia, hoping to extend his benevolence and do something to help her, but his efforts were futile and inexorably vapid.

Dimentio swung around and sunk his knife directly into King Grambi's heart. The old man hit the floor and spat up his own scarlet blood. He sank in a crumpled ball and silently wept. Dimentio, in a rage picked up the book and snapped his fingers with an inhuman alacrity. Just like the madman and the book were gone.

Nastasia held up the King's head and began to weep, urging him to fight for his life.

"The Underwhere…he'll be headed there…you must…stop," his words were cut off and he died in her arms.

Rising, Nastasia looked from Bleck to the doctor and then back to Bleck.

"We can't afford another gamble like that Bleck! You just cost us the life of the king of the Overthere! Do you know what this means? He has Jaydes, he has the book and Grambi is dead! We are two steps backwards now!" Her venom splattered against Bleck's void of a heart and he winced at her wrath.

"Now take his body downstairs and show the nimbis what you're responsible for. And you doctor," the old man looked up.

"You go back to Mount Noir; I don't need your help any longer."

"I'm afraid not, I understand your anger, but sometimes we can't overcome every obstacle alone."

His wisdom burned in her heart and she nodded with understanding.

"Then there is no time to prepare, I still want that Nimbi escort, we're going to need all the protection we can get if he decides to show his face." She spat out that line with malice and Dr. Flintome answered.

"The envoy was killed."

"Then get me another one."

Deep within the bowels of Dimentio's lair, Queen Jaydes felt a pang at her heart. It was as if an emotional string to her heart had been severed and she recoiled at the sudden flare of pain in her soul.

"Grambi…" she breathed.

"Oh God…Oh God…"

"Is something wrong?" General White questioned from across the way.

"He's a step closer," was all Jaydes could muster to say as she wilted to the floor and let out a wail of desperation. Her tears saturated her dusty clothes and with a fit of emotion she looked up to the ceiling.

"We are on our own," she whispered with certainty.


	22. Explosions, Warp Holes and Wizards

**I apologize for the delay, but I will returning this story its normal pacing of frequent chapter additions! Please read, review and enjoy and once again I am sorry for the wait...but here is Chapter Twenty-Two!  
**

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Mushroom Kingdom shined in the radiance of the sun on this particular morning, it seemed to be a perfect and pleasant day for the citizens of the district and everyone in town was rejoicing in merriment at the expense of the Princess's daily leisure. Princess Peach Toadstool was in hurry, much unlike her recumbent manner and her docile tendencies; she huffed and puffed along the narrow brick corridors of the Mushroom Kingdom.

In her hand was a brown paper package tied up with a white string. Beads of sweat formed at her brow like pearls and she gasped for air as she turned a sharp corner with a click of her heels. She quickened her stride; the sense of being followed enveloped her. She knew he was watching.

She knew Dimentio was coming.

The jester had sent her a letter earlier in the week, proposing a choice. Inside of this letter was a sleeping bob-omb, one of the domestic ones that bid the commands of Lord Bowser of the Koopa Kingdoms. Furthermore, a sheet of paper was tucked in with this bob-omb. Reading the disheveled handwriting, an expression of horror crept upon Peach's face.

_To My Lovely Monarch,_

_ Princess Peach Toadstool, I would like to inform you of my machination to sweep your kingdom out from under your feet. This of course, might come as a surprise to you, but I'm sure you're well aware of the myriad of enemies you've managed to accumulate over the years. My name is Dimentio, we've met before, and you were one of the "heroes" responsible for my banishment to the Underwhere. Well no more, I escaped, and I intend to exact my revenge on all of the living kingdoms. First of all, I request a sum of one hundred thousand coins deposited to my personal bank account in Mount Noir. I require refurnishing to Castle Bleck when I am done with my tenure as world domineer and I don't know where I would come up with all of the expenses. Also, your beloved Mario must die. Alas, I know you love him, and I have no intention for your hand, you will rot in prison, with the rest of those I wish not to kill. Master Mario has plagued me with an infernal disease of loathing since my previous encounter with him. He played me for a fool in front of the Count's court and I do intend to make him pay for that. So you deliver this bob-omb to his manor in exactly a week from today, and if it is not done by exactly twelve o'clock noon on that day, I will kill you. I have eyes and ears everywhere and even your closet friends cannot be trusted._

_ Sincerely,_

_ Dimentio_

Peach had temporized, to the point of no return. She still had fifteen minutes until Dimentio arrived to end her existence, but if she hurried…she could kill Mario. She had to admit his plan was brilliant and Peach valued her monarchy and her people above all. Mario was an ornament to her royalties, she had convinced herself.

Arriving at the Mario Manor, she deposited the brown paper package at his doorstop and knocked on the door three times. Hurling herself into some bushes on the other side of the yard, Peach quavered in her hiding place.

The door swung open, and to her dismay it was not Mario who picked up the package.

It was Pauline.

Peach loathed Pauline, Mario's ex-lover and former damsel. He had rescued Pauline many a time from Donkey Kong, but when the ape swore fealty to the Mushroom Kingdom and the quarrels between man and ape ended, Pauline disappeared.

Or so Peach had thought.

Knowing she would make her deadline, relief and horror gripped Peach by the throat as the last thing in the world she wished to hear emerged from Pauline's velvet lips.

"Mario sweetie, there's a package here," Pauline's voice was like an acidic honey that poisoned Peach's heart. Mario, her husband, was having an affair, with Pauline of all people.

The impending event reduced Peach to inaudible sobs and her body convulsed in the bushes. Suddenly, she felt a presence by her side and looking up from her hiding place she laid eyes on the demented jester.

"Dimentio…" she breathed between sobs.

"Let us watch the fireworks! You and I Peach will watch the heroic plumber meet his doom!" The madman cackled with enthusiasm that revolted Peach.

And suddenly, she saw Mario meet Pauline at the door and together the furtive lovers slid open the parcel and within a fraction of a second, between a gasp and the rudiments of a scream, the Mario Manor exploded.

"Mario!" Peach screamed reaching out for her husband and falling to the ground, assuming the fetal position and whispering to herself that it was for the safety of her monarchy and the kingdom.

"What a splendid show!" Dimentio remarked and patted Peach on the back of her rosy gown. Continuing he added, "I do believe it is time for us to get out of here Princess," and grabbing on to Peach's shoulder with a violent jerk, he snapped his fingers and began the dimensional transport to his lair.

* * *

Merlon, failing to locate the Dark Prognosticus in the Crags, finally arrived at outskirts of Mount Noir.

"Watch it! Merlon!" Old Man Watchitt sauntered down his steps, with the aid of his gnarled cane and supported his wizened cousin.

"By Jove! What brings you to Mount Noir! On foot! In such a condition! Watch it!" The old hermit was offering no moratorium to his questions. Merlon, becoming feverish by the demands, simply rested a hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"Please allow me to rest, and in the meantime, send word for Nolrem, he isn't safe."

* * *

Reaching the borders of the Overthere and coming to a shining red door, Nastasia turned to her companions.

"Now, when we go through this door, we need to think about where we would like to go and that is where we will be deposited. We need to concentrate deeply on Mount Noir. I think I know where we can lay our problems to rest. Where it all began"

Dr. Flintome, shocked, replied, "You don't mean?"

Nastasia nodded, "I do doctor, I do indeed. Bleck?" She turned to the count. "It's time."

Not knowing what reaction to expect, the one she received placated her fears. Bleck simply nodded and let out a resigned sigh.

Thrusting the door open and not looking back at the envoy of Nimbis that had escorted the trio to the door, Nastasia, Dr. Flintome and Count Bleck entered the warp and after what seemed like seconds but had really been a few minutes, they adjusted their eyes to the cloudy atmosphere of Mount Noir.

As they made their way through the relatively small town, they passed Dr. Flintome's house and the man gave it a look of grievance and yearning, however it was just a few days ago that he had left there, but so much had happened.

Suddenly, they were hailed by Old Man Watchitt across the way.

"Watch it! You're back!" the seer bumbled down the steps and embraced Nastasia and Dr. Flintome.

"Who is this dark specimen?" Watchitt inquired rudely with a point of his staff.

"This is…" Nastasia began the introduction but Bleck cut her off.

"Just an ally on the quest of redeeming what is right," Bleck answered.

"Humph, well come in, Watch it!" the old man led the way into his shadowy and small abode.

Sitting at the table in the kitchen were two old men, both adorned in the most extravagant raiment, long cloaks that graced the floor, embellished with spheres containing tiny stars as a clasp. Their wispy white beards came down past their chests and their hoods concealed their visage. One was clad in blue and the sage opposing him was dressed in grey.

"These are the royal wizards, Merlon and Nolrem, of Flipside and Flopside respectively," Watchitt explained.

Merlon and Nolrem did not rise, but merely nodded as the newcomers joined them at the table. Passing out cups of steaming tea, Watchitt busied himself in the kitchen while the five got down to business.

"Thank you for coming," Merlon said.

"Word was not sent for us," Nastasia replied in confusion.

"Your presence was timely, and most required," Nolrem spoke back.

"What brings you gentlemen to such an obscure place as Mount Noir?" Dr. Flintome asked.

"I was assaulted, abducted and brought here via the demon known as Dimentio," Merlon answered. "He ambushed me in my home in Flipside and after failing to locate the Dark Prognosticus, as he desired, I barely brought myself to Mount Noir where I met my cousin Watchitt."

Nolrem nodded and added, "Watchitt sent word for me in Flopside and I departed promptly. There is an evil force at work here in Mount Noir, we can feel it. Magic and darkness when coupled radiate a pungent aura, and our keen senses are attuned to such designs. The strongest of these forces is emanating from Castle Bleck on the steep hill that overlooks this town. The trek is difficult, but we are prepared to eliminate this darkness."

Count Bleck countered them, "Do you know what is at work here? We're talking about dimensions and the fabric of time itself! To even suggest waltzing up to the gates of Castle Bleck and searching for a supposed evil presence is ridiculous."

Nastasia, keeping a level head in all of this spoke up, "We don't even know if Dimentio is in Castle Bleck, he could have simply put a charm on it. Or it could be an item, like the Dark Prognosticus."

"Or the amulet," Count Bleck said.

Nastasia, knowing of the said amulet replied, "What do you mean Bleck?"

"I mean, Dimentio is in possession of both the Dark Prognosticus and the Amulet of Darkness. It was the crown jewel of the Tribe of Darkness; it gave us our power and our magic. It allowed the writing of the Dark Prognosticus. It is not to be trifled with."

Merlon's eyes lit up at this, "I have only read of myths concerning the Amulet of Darkness. It is real then, how fascinating. If we could get our hands on whatever is creating that dark resonance, it would greatly benefit us."

"I say we go for it," Dr. Flintome added.

Nastasia assessed her allies, "Two wrinkled wizards, an old physician, and a miasma of emotion, the odds were not on her side."

Merlon and Nolrem favored Dr. Flintome's offer and Bleck struck it down. It didn't matter what Nastasia said, the majority was willing.

"We rest tonight," she said, "Then before dawn, we strike Castle Bleck, I'll need Merlon and Nolrem to be on offensive guard, your spells may need to be called upon if we encounter trouble. The doctor and Bleck will stick with me; I doubt we can go upstairs since Dimentio destroyed them, so we'll sweep the ground floor."

Everyone agreed and they departed to get some sleep.

Having trouble with her slumber, Nastasia looked out the window of the bedroom Watchitt had given her and up at the steeples of Castle Bleck. For an instant, she swore she saw a figure standing on top of the battlements that disappeared when she rubbed her eyes. She winced with a look of fright in her bed, turning her head away from the window.

Tomorrow she thought, tomorrow will decide who wins.

**Castle Bleck...where it all began...What will our heroes discover? How will the Mushroom Kingdom cope with the disappearance of Peach and the explosion of Mario Manor? Did Mario survive the explosion? What of his affair with Pauline? What does Dimentio plan on doing with Jaydes and White? What will become of the leaderless Overthere and Underwhere? So many questions surround this tale of horror and woe, but do not fret, for all will be answered.**


	23. An Unexpected Confrontation

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Twenty-Three

The moonbeams danced on the silver wisps that dotted the night sky as Nastasia sluggishly awoke to a calm Merlon rustling her shoulder.

"It is time," he said in a hushed whisper.

Rising and meeting the rest of the party in the kitchen, Nastasia reiterated her formula to approach the castle.

"Remember, if all fails, regroup in the foyer," she instructed.

Old Man Watchitt waved goodbye from the steps of his porch in the crisp night air as the group ascended the mountain edge towards Castle Bleck. They trudged on in silence, stumbling here and there on a loose or jutting rock. At one point, Dr. Flintome almost tumbled down the side, but Count Bleck was able to grab his arm just in time. Finally, after about forty minutes of sheer climbing, they reached the gates of Castle Bleck.

"It seems like an eternity ago…" Nastasia breathed.

Running her fingers through the wrought iron design, and encircling the large 'B' that was forged into the center of the work, Nastasia crossed the threshold of property with her followers in tow.

The little grass that grew around the grounds was withered and the garden that Blythe had attended to only a week before hand was beginning to become increasingly moribund. It seemed like time did not stop at Castle Bleck despite the grisly events that had already occurred.

"This is it," Count Bleck remarked to no one in particular as Nastasia grasped the brass handle that decorated the magnificent front door.

Easing it open, half expecting it to be locked, the dusty recesses of the foyer came into illumination by the moon. Silently filing in, the group assessed the foyer for any sign of life, when Nastasia noticed something.

The body that belonged to her departed Blumiere and the white cloak that covered his gruesome end were missing.

"Some has been here," she deduced.

Merlon and Nolrem readied their spells and advanced into the dining room. The crumpled bodies of Mimi and Merloon were coated in their own blood and the cousins knelt on the floor.

"Merloon…what is he doing here…how…why…." the cousins grieved their fallen family member, apparently not knowing of his tenure at Castle Bleck.

Upon questioning, Nastasia confirmed his involvement with Blumiere to the wizards and they solemnly nodded.

"Hopefully, we will be able to transport his body to the tombs that hold the departed members of the House of Merlon. He may have been a pariah to us, but he is still family," Nolrem said with a grave note.

Dr. Flintome and Count Bleck scoured the parlor and found nothing but dust. Circling back into the foyer, Nastasia looked at the grandfather clock that was still stained on the inside with Pennington's dried blood. She placed a hand on the pendulum that rested off to the side of the mechanism and retraced it back to a small gold chain that wound up the music box that worked the chime. Examining the chime on closer inspection she noticed a small red button, concealed by the intricate workings of the clock.

She pushed it.

The walls began to shake and Nastasia stepped back from the clock. The fireplace that rested at the opposite end of the foyer, built into the wall, began to fall apart and descend into the floorboards. The wood creaked and eventually a set of stairs revealed themselves that led to a dark corridor, shadows filled the space and a row of lamps illuminated what darkness could not permeate.

"A secret passage," Merlon acknowledged.

Stepping into the gap first, Count Bleck ran a hand along the wall and encouraged the others to follow him. Figuring it as a possible solution to their plight, the others joined him on the stairwell and began the descent into darkness. They arrived at a twisting hallway that snaked throughout the bottom of the manor and Merlon marked the walls with a seal spell so they could trace their way back. Coming to an expanse of room that was lined with lamps on the wall, the party stopped and looked around. A lone door stood out on the other side of the circular room and they crossed over to it.

Bleck placed a hand on the knob and twisted it with anticipation of what lay ahead.

Easing it open, the group stepped into a small room that took them by surprise. Official in its decorum, the room contained a large desk cluttered with papers. A corkboard rested on the wall that horrified the party. Several pictures of the realm's highest individuals, including almost everyone in the party, excluding Dr. Flintome were present on the board.

A picture of Mario lay in the middle, circled in red and Nastasia remembered him from the days where she faithfully served Count Bleck's insidious machinations.

"Seems like he never learned to forget," Nastasia remarked.

At that moment, hearing her voice, General White called from his cell in an excited hiss.

"Nastasia?" he probed.

Wheeling around, the party noticed a row of cages on both sides of the walls. Three cages on each side, and four of them were inhabited. Nastasia briskly walked over to General White's cell and soothingly extended her hand, clutching his with an earnest compassion.

"We'll get you out of here," she vowed.

"Well you better hurry," a snooty voice whined from across the way.

"Queen Jaydes!" Count Bleck exclaimed and he worked to open her cell to no avail.

"They require keys," Princess Peach spoke up from her cell, where she lay on the floor clothed in her tattered pink dress.

"My goodness, he's captured the queen of the Underwhere and the royal mushroom princess!" Merlon cried.

The fourth cage's inhabitant, we have not spoken of yet, for the derelict was not truly a prisoner. Hiding in the shadows of his cell, the others, including the prisoners, were unaware of his presence. Stepping into the light and swinging open his unlocked cage, Dimentio walked into the middle of the room with a disapproving "tut-tut-tut."

"I hate to break up this sweet reunion, but I'm afraid I can't let any of you escape," Dimentio announced, taking the group by surprise.

Merlon and Nolrem instantly shielded their side of the room in a protective spell that Dimentio smashed with a pounding of his fist.

"Die!" he commanded with malevolence and struck out with his knife, slashing at Nolrem's cloak. Severing the fabric, Nolrem's arm was exposed and the wizard doubled back to avoid being stabbed. Dimentio, in a dance, weaved over to Nastasia and lunged for her throat.

"I should have killed you when I could!" Dimentio complained.

"Sounds like a personal problem," Nastasia spat.

Dimentio lunged again with the knife, barely missing Nastasia' shoulders as she ducked from his savage blow. Count Bleck parried Dimentio's strike with a lunge, and he rolled around on the cold floor of the room with the madman. Dimentio threw the Count off of him with surprising strength and slashed his knife at his chest. A scarlet streak lighted up Bleck's white vest and droplets of blood decorated the floor. Staggering backwards and clutching his chest, Count Bleck removed himself from the scuffle while Dimentio turned to new prey.

Merlon and Nolrem countered the jester's alacrity with several shots of magic, and one hit Dimentio square in the chest. Toppling over and clutching his stomach, Dimentio doubled over and hit the floor. Nastasia stomped on his throat and blood spurted from his mouth.

"Got you," she cooed with satisfaction.

Dimentio thrust the knife into her calf and she screamed in agony. The caterwaul distracted the wizards and Dimentio heaved himself off the floor and struggled to get away. Rising from the corner, Bleck made an attempt for Dimentio's collar, but the jester outpaced him.

Dr. Flintome rushed forward to help Nastasia with her leg, while Merlon and Nolrem gave hot pursuit to Dimentio's fleeing figure.

"This way!" Nolrem directed as he and his cousin ascended the flight of stairs back up the foyer. The old men had trouble keeping up with the jester's swift pace, and the spell that had hit him seemed to have only temporarily disabled him.

Upon reaching the foyer, Merlon and Nolrem whirled about, twisting in the darkness to find the cunning Dimentio.

"Over here," Dimentio sang and the men turned to see the horrific smile of the madman fall upon. Dimentio thrust his knife into Nolrem's throat and the old mage made guttural sounds. The crimson poured out of his mouth and neck and he slumped to the floor.

"Nolrem!" Merlon cried and shot a huge blast of blue magic at his cousin's murderer.

Engulfing Dimentio, the blast was a direct hit and the when the smoke cleared, Dimentio was gone. Merlon rushed to the side of his cousin but it was too late.

"No…no," Merlon sobbed as Dr. Flintome appeared at the top of the stairs.

"My God," Dr. Flintome breathed and murmured something to Merlon about his cousin.

Back downstairs in the secret room, Count Bleck and Nastasia were busy freeing the prisoners. Searing pain blazed down Nastasia' left leg, but she managed to smile wearily as General White emerged from his incarceration.

"I thought I would die in that cell," White mused with dark mirth.

Queen Jaydes brushed herself and cursed Dimentio.

"I cannot believe the gall of the imbecile, I must get to the Underwhere, it is our only hope," she cried feverishly.

"Not now," Princess Peach asserted, "These two are hurt, and we don't know where Dimentio could be."

After the formal introductions were over (As Jaydes hadn't met anyone there and Peach had forgotten most of their names since the last time she saw), the group congregated in the foyer. Nolrem's body was moved into the parlor and a black sheet that had rested on one of the sofas was used to cover him.

Nastasia lay on the couch and Dr. Flintome applied some cool cream to her calf. A mixture of Ice Storm and Koopa Leaf he had said. It felt soothing and wonderful on her burning leg and soon the pain was numbed.

Count Bleck propped himself up in the corner, a bandage was wrapped around his chest. Merlon sat on the edge of his seat, staring at the floor. Queen Jaydes paced nervously, looking around her shoulder as if an attacker was upon her. Princess Peach busied herself by smoothing her tattered dress and General White was staring out the window, as morning dawned.

"So, what's our next move," Merlon finally spoke up.

Nastasia, with a worried eye, looked up at Count Bleck. A sense of dread filled his eyes and a look of opposition filled his face, but then he relented and somberly shook his head.

"We need to find Blumiere's body," Nastasia blurted.

She received several quizzical looks and she explained what King Grambi had told her, and decided to fill the party in on the whole scenario thus far. Jaydes solemnly nodded at the mention of her husband's murder, already knowing in her heart.

Peach sighed and a confused look worked its way onto her brow.

"So if Blumiere can be restored," she said to no one, "then Bleck here must sacrifice himself." She looked at the Count.

He nodded.

Nastasia reached her hand out to him and he begrudgingly took it.

"It's time," he said.


	24. Disentia

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Good evening citizens of Mushroom Kingdom, tonight we mourn the loss of a hero and the disappearance of our dear princess. Only less then twenty-four hours ago, an explosion was witnessed at Mario Manor, and the charred remains of our kingdom's hero Mario were found in the wreckage. Also recovered was the burned body of Miss Pauline, her motive for being at Mario Manor is currently unknown. Furthermore, soon after the incident occurred, Princess Peach disappeared and has not been seen in her castle or in the kingdom. We now take you live to the funeral procession of our departed hero."

Dimentio clicked off the news report in the small apartment he sat in. It had belonged to some poor toad that had the misfortune of renting out this particular suite. Dimentio had warped the entire room out of the dimension, but retained its connection to the world. It was his little hideaway, somewhere to plot.

Smiling at the confirmed death of Mario and his unprecedented mistress, Dimentio coolly picked up the telephone that rested by the sofa. Punching in a series of numbers furiously, he held the phone up to his ear and after two rings a voice picked up the line.

"He is dead," Dimentio stated coldly.

"Very well," the voice replied in the same flat tone, "but we still have a Nastasia problem."

"Consider it handled," Dimentio spoke.

"You had it handled when she was at the mansion. She was supposed to die. She stuck her nose in too deep and now look where we are! Blumiere is going to be revived, tonight. That damned Count agreed to split his soul."

Dimentio froze.

"Are you absolutely sure," he asked.

"Positive."

Dimentio hung up the phone and in an instant, he was gone.

Assuming that Dimentio had moved the body upstairs, Nastasia and Count Bleck roughly scaled the wall of Castle Bleck. Nastasia had slipped at one point, but Bleck had caught her shoe and hoisted her up to the awning that overlooked whatever was left over of the front lawn. Sidling over to the nearest window, they tumbled into a dark room where a body lay on a bed with a sheet over it.

Not concerned or wanting to know of whom it was, the duo opened the door to the hallway and entered what used to be Blumiere's bedroom.

Her assumption was correct, and Blumiere's body lay wrapped in white linen on the bed. He looked peaceful and serene, and Nastasia did not wish to disturb him. Count Bleck laid a hand on her shoulder and stepping forward he gazed into Blumiere's closed eyes.

Then he placed his hand on the cadaver's face and closed his eyes.

At first, nothing happened, and then lightning fast and inexorably, Count Bleck peeled away. His body dissolved into a dark miasma in front of Nastasia, and she wished she could look away but her eyes stayed glued to the horror. The miasma dove into Blumiere's a body and with a start, the corpse rose as if electrocuted and then flopped back down.

Then he opened his eyes.

She rushed to his side and grasped his hand.

"Oh, Blumiere," she whispered lovingly.

"N-Nastasia?" Blumiere stuttered.

"Oh Blumiere!" she cried.

Blumiere lay a delicate hand on the small woman's dark cheek and his glassy eyes fixated on her as her heart seemed to melt. She had finally restored Blumiere to life, and he was to be hers.

Blumiere shakily stood up and then after a few moments he gained his balance and posture and walked around the room, touching the walls and breathing in the air.

"I was gone, wasn't I?" he asked Nastasia, not turning around.

"You were dead," she corrected.

His eyes lit up, "Impossible," he breathed.

"Possible," she countered.

"Oh Nastasia, I feel whole again, like a part of me was missing but now it has come back," Blumiere spoke with triumph.

"My Lord," she began but he cut her off,

"Don't call me by that name, you are not a servant of mine. You are a friend, a close friend."

The words stung her like bees, and she thought about the sincerity in his tone. Did he not love her? Give it time, she told herself.

Together after a few more cordial words, the pair approached the broken stairwell.

"Hold on to me," Blumiere instructed, but not menacingly.

She grabbed his waist and held tight, savoring the proximity. With a whirl, Blumiere swept them up in his cloak and they traveled down to the foyer via his dimensional powers. Blumiere did not like to use them when he didn't have to, but he made exceptions.

General White rubbed his eyes when he saw Blumiere.

"Blumiere old chap! By God! You're alive!"

General White clapped Blumiere on the back and the two embraced. Nastasia introduced Blumiere to Dr. Flintome, Merlon, Queen Jaydes and Peach.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Dr. Flintome smiled.

Queen Jaydes scoffed at Blumiere, the events of the Chaos Hearts fresh in her mind.

Blumiere took charge of the group, after Nastasia had filled him in on all of the events past his death.

"Well, I believe we have to head for the Underwhere and restore Queen Jaydes' throne. There are plenty of lost souls down there that Dimentio could coax with a few blandishments," he strategized.

"What do you think?" Blumiere addressed Queen Jaydes, as it was only appropriate in suggesting the reclaiming of her kingdom.

"No one wants to know what I think?"

They all froze, and sure enough, sitting on the top of the decimated stairs sat Dimentio.

"You," Blumiere snapped.

"Me," Dimentio laughed wildly.

Continuing, Dimentio spoke, "I got a tip that you were back in town Bleck, let's see if those old bones still function after your return from the dead!"

He materialized behind Blumiere, causing Peach to scream and dive for safety. Dimentio grabbed Blumiere by the neck and slammed him to the ground.

"Stop it!" Nastasia cried.

Dimentio drew his knife and stabbed at Blumiere's chest, but he rolled out of the way, with the knife barely grazing where his head was a moment ago.

General White slammed into Dimentio's side and the jester hit the floor. The old veteran lit his fuse and instructed the group to run for cover. As Dimentio came to his senses, General White exploded in his face and the old bob-omb flew backwards and tumbled to the side.

The maneuver successful, Dimentio received full impact to the face and his charred body was flung into the wall. Merlon fired off several red and blue blasts of magic that struck Dimentio all over. He slumped against the wall and attempted to spin away, but Blumiere grabbed him by the throat.

Materializing above the stairs once again, Blumiere warped himself and Dimentio up there. Together they warped all over the mansion via their dimensional powers and lunged and parried each other's attacks. Blumiere kicked Dimentio hard in the stomach and grabbed him by the neck. Throwing him into the grand chandelier, the jester was impaled against the glass ornaments and with an aged creak, the entire structure crashed to the floor in a spectacle of shattering glass.

Blumiere appeared in the foyer and he ferociously stomped over to Dimentio's bloodied body.

Laughter, sickening and wicked laughter emerged from the dying creature's mouth.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! You think my death will end this Bleck? You think I haven't set irreversible events in motion?"

"King Grambi may be dead, but the queen of the Underwhere lives and so do I."

"Ha-ha-ha! You…will never…be…alive…Bleck, you….and. all…will perish!"

"It's over Dimentio. You've failed."

"It…will…never…be…over."

And with those words, casting an ominous and foreshadowing sense of dread over Castle Bleck, Dimentio left this dimension and all dimensions for good.


	25. Cloak and Dagger

The Horror of Castle Bleck

He was dead. Dimentio, the source of all Nastasia's despair over the past week was finally dead. It had been week from this very morning that Nastasia had first arrived at Castle Bleck to make sure General White had arrived safely. She had instructed the General to come to Castle Bleck to offer comfort and company to Blumiere. However dear reader we still haven't addressed a question that goes back to the very beginning of this story.

How did Nastasia know that Blumiere would sustain a misfortune?

Blumiere looked down at Dimentio's dead body and left it impaled on the corpse.

"Merlon, make sure he's dead, he might be using some sort of magic to conceal his condition," Blumiere instructed wearily. He had only been back in this realm for under an hour and had already fought a vicious battle.

Merlon confirmed the jester's death by shrouding the fiend in some sort of mystic blanket that seeped into Dimentio's corpse. After it had permeated the jester and nothing had happened, Merlon confirmed the death with a nod.

Nastasia shed a tear at this, and clutched her hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe that Dimentio was finally gone and the horrors she had lived for the past week were finally over. Dr. Flintome laid a hand on her shoulder and embraced her tenderly. Peach broke down, thinking about what strife Dimentio had caused the Mushroom Kingdom.

Queen Jaydes did not stir.

Blumiere rejoined the group and together they looked around the remnants of Castle Bleck, only a week before the keep had shined in its resplendence, but now it was a mere husk of its former self. The chandelier lay shattered, the marvelous stair case was gone, the old grandfather clock was busted, books lay about in the library, and the dining table was toppled.

"I can't live here anymore," Blumiere said with an empty stare at the contents of his once-pristine mansion.

Nastasia grabbed his hand, and he blindly accepted it. Raising her hand to his lips, he delicately kissed it and returned it to her side. Nastasia blushed.

* * *

"Watch it! What a tale!" Old Man Watchitt remarked as Dr. Flintome filled the curmudgeon in on the events of their trek.

"It seems as if it's all over," Dr. Flintome remarked.

"Watch it! Did you hear? They found Sir Noir's body up in his mansion, Watch it!" Old Man Watchitt spoke with energy.

"That's awful, he must have gotten in Dimentio's way somehow," Dr. Flintome deduced.

"Perhaps," Blumiere grumbled.

Blumiere had known Sir Noir, although the two were mere acquaintances, they had met each other previously. Blumiere was constructing his castle, and the young Sir Noir had advised him not to build in such a desolate place, but Blumiere countered that he liked the view.

In the afternoon, Dr. Flintome decided to go back to his house, but General White wouldn't have it.

"That won't do doctor, I'm sure we can find a house in Poshley that will suit a man of you airs?" the General insisted.

"Poshley? Now General…" Dr. Flintome began but the bob-omb persisted and the arrangements were made for Dr. Flintome to accompany White back to Poshley Heights.

Peach had sent word to the Mushroom Kingdom that she was in Mount Noir and required an envoy to travel back home, and decided to stay at Watchitt's until the brigade arrived. Merlon would accompany her back, and had decided to rebuild his roots in Toad Town.

As everyone was busy making preparations, Nastasia was sitting in Watchitt's living room when Blumiere sat down next to her with a sigh.

"Why did you come to Castle Bleck?" Blumiere asked randomly.

"Pardon me?"

"Why did you come to Castle Bleck a week ago, to check on my health? Come on Nastasia, I may have lost my memory, but I'm not stupid."

He fished out the ruby amulet from his coat, and laid it on the table.

"You found it," Nastasia exclaimed with half-hearted enthusiasm.

"Dimentio had it," Blumiere said.

"I want you to have it," he finished.

Before she could object he held up a finger, "A gift," he offered.

Taking the amulet in her hand, she slipped it into her pocket and looked into Blumiere's eyes.

"I was passing through Toad Town," she began.

"Whatever for?"

"I was going to see Princess Peach."

"Why?"

"After the Chaos Heart was destroyed and…and we went our separate ways," she dodged mentioning Timpani, "I remained in Flipside, restless and eventually decided I wanted to know what was in store for me. I had Merlon read me my fortune."

General White pricked up his ears from the kitchen; the house was very small, so noise carried.

"He told me that a pair of lovers were doomed, and I assumed that he meant Princess Peach, as he told me that the danger was close to the heart of my world. The Mushroom Kingdom."

"You were wrong," Blumiere asserted.

"I was," Nastasia sniffled, "I saw something I shouldn't have, I saw Dimentio enter an upper window of Peach's Castle and I told myself for days it wasn't true, but I fled for the only place I thought would be safe from him. I knew that Dimentio would come for you, to exact his revenge."

"Why didn't you tell me, you knew he was behind the murders? You knew all along!"

"No! It wasn't like that! I knew that Dimentio could be stopped, if he got what he wanted…but everything went wrong and…"

"Allow me," General White spoke up from the kitchen.

"Nastasia came to me, in a very dire circumstance. I had recently just brokered a deal with the Mushroom Kingdom's leading big business owner, Goldbob. Goldbob had orchestrated a deal to where I would receive full control of the Mushroom Kingdom military if a source of his received what he wanted."

Blumiere held his head in his hands.

"If I were to give this partner of Goldbob's one simple thing, I could dispatch of General Guy and control the military."

"What did this partner want?" Blumiere asked.

"You," General White spoke in a hushed whisper.

"You Blumiere were the key to the puzzle. Dimentio had returned from the Underwhere and sent letters to three of the Mushroom Kingdom's leading figures. Princess Peach, Goldbob and General Guy. Princess Peach was instructed to kill Master Mario, Goldbob was instructed to kill you and General Guy was instructed to bombard the Overthere and the Underwhere with militant force."

"And this was allowed?" Blumiere questioned with a demanding tone.

"Dimentio, in order to be taken seriously, decided to kill General Guy in front of the Princess and Goldbob. He would dispatch of the Overthere and the Underwhere himself. But then Goldbob backed out, and offered my head instead, saying that my influence was greater. Being unaccustomed to the affairs of the Mushroom Kingdom, Dimentio took the bait and let Goldbob go. However, when he came for me, I was gone."

"Nastasia had rescued you."

"Precisely old chap," General White added, "Dimentio had forgotten about the visionary powers of the Royal House of Merlon, and Merlon was able to foresee the troubles ahead. Merlon sent Nastasia to fetch me and the Princess immediately while he consulted the Light Prognosticus."

Blumiere listened attentively as General White continued.

"Well Dimentio realized that he would have to take out Grambi, Jaydes and yourself, so he came to you first out of malice. He wanted me alive, and Nastasia was supposed to die, but she was always by your side Blumiere, Dimentio could never get to her."

At this Nastasia blushed.

"So, why did Merlon divulge all of this information to Nastasia?"

"She's the only person alive you love," Merlon answered as he appeared from the hallway.

Nastasia breath flew out her stomach and she felt the heat hit her cheeks like fire. Blumiere loved her.

"She was the only who would be able to keep you alive after Dimentio killed you. She was the only able to ensure your hate for Dimentio developed, to ensure that Count Bleck would form from your soul and to ensure that we could use this method to catch Dimentio off guard," Merlon stated.

Blumiere stood up and wiped his brow, he had been a pawn, in a quest to rid the world of a lunatic.

Facing Nastasia, Blumiere looked into her eyes, "You could have told me."

"It would have affected the turn of events," Merlon flatly spoke.

Hurt filled Blumiere's eyes, but Nastasia touched his arm, grazing the veins that surged under his skin. Benevolence worked its way into Blumiere's visage and he steadied himself.

"There is only one question left," Blumiere stated.

"Ask away," Merlon prompted.

"How did Dimentio escape?"

A look of realization slapped itself onto the faces of both General White and Merlon.

"Someone must have promised Dimentio power and revenge from his prison, someone conspired with him, he couldn't have done this alone? To orchestrate the deaths of so many, with such finesse, making sure that all of you wound up together with the knowledge that you contained!" Blumiere's voice climbed.

"Someone was on the inside, someone freed Dimentio," Nastasia hysterically calculated.

And as the thought dawned on them all, it was Blumiere who spoke it, "And I'm willing to wager that it was one of us."


	26. The Queen and the Fool

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Twenty-Six

But Blumiere was wrong, for the co-conspirator that the group had correctly deduced to exist did not sit in the living room of Old Man Watchitt's dank abode on the outskirts of Mount Noir.

"Bah…no, it wouldn't do, why would we divulge all of this information to you, and in turn be the one who caused this wicked turn of events," Merlon questioned.

Blumiere turned the thought over in his mind, assessing the various pieces of information he had collected from General White and Merlon.

"So, if Goldbob sold you out to Dimentio, then where is he?" Blumiere questioned.

"He is gone, far from the Mushroom Kingdom, probably back to Shiver City. His house in Poshley is abandoned and his wife and child haven't been seen as well. Goldbob vanished without a trace when things got sour," General White insisted.

Blumiere then turned towards Nastasia, "Well, if Goldbob is gone, and the General and this old fortune-teller are telling the truth, then it can only be you my dear," Blumiere accused, placing emphasis on the word "dear".

"Blumiere…no," Nastasia pleaded, tears welling in her eyes.

"Well then who the devil is it?" Blumiere cursed wildly.

"Let's all calm down," Merlon urged, "If it's none of us, then why don't we try and sort out who it could be."

As the four hunkered down in the living room and tried to figure out the root of this dastardly plot, on the other side of the house, things were getting even more…dastardlier.

As we leave General White, Merlon, Nastasia and Blumiere in the living room, let us turn our attention to the affairs of Princess Peach, Dr. Flintome, Old Man Watchitt and Queen Jaydes. Princess Peach was busy powdering her nose in the bathroom as she awaited the envoy from the Mushroom Kingdom. Old Man Watchitt was busy brewing tea in the kitchen, humming a merry tune. It was Dr. Flintome who encountered the grisly conundrum.

"I'm sure of it." He heard Queen Jaydes hiss in a hushed whisper.

"Listen to me," she instructed with vehemence, he snaky body undulating in frustration, "I paid you in full, you are required to carry out your promises by blood!"

Dr. Flintome leaned in closer to hear the conversation, picking up words on the other line of Jaydes' phone call.

"He wasn't supposed to die, he was supposed to rule!" Queen Jaydes exclaimed, her voice rising.

"This…none…concern," the other line babbled.

"Of course it is!" Queen Jaydes hissed, "When we jumped off this bridge we all held hands! If one of us goes down, we all go down! Don't you dare think you can just waltz off without fulfilling your role!"

"I…do…please," the voice harshly retorted.

"It isn't your decision," Queen Jaydes fired back, and with that she snapped the phone shut, whirling on her heels, almost catching sight of the doctor.

Dr. Flintome rushed downstairs, nearly tripping over his shoes. Reaching the living room, he grabbed Nastasia by the shoulders with a crazed look in his eyes.

"My word, doctor, what possesses you?" Merlon asked in surprise.

"Nastasia, a word?" Dr. Flintome importuned.

Nastasia asked for the room to be cleared, and Blumiere, White and Merlon departed.

"Queen Jaydes is part of something," Dr. Flintome stated, "Something big."

Nastasia's eyes grew wide.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"I overheard her on the phone, she was speaking with someone, about how something isn't for that person to decide and they all made a pact. It sounds like more than a few people are involved."

"We have to get out of here," Nastasia decided.

Her priority was making sure Blumiere, General White and Merlon were with her. The Princess and Watchitt, albeit nice company, were not her primal concerns.

It was at the moment that Nastasia attempted to convene with these three men that a caterwaul arose from the bathroom. The random screech caused Watchitt to drop his tea tray, smashing into the ground with a thundering clatter. In this state of confusion, Queen Jaydes swept down the stairs, brandishing an ornate scepter adorned with amethysts and sardonyx.

In her left her she carried the head of Princess Peach.

Tossing the severed head into the crowd of horrified onlookers, Queen Jaydes threw a devilish grin at her audience. With a grand swipe, blue waves emitted from her scepter and the entire group was thrown up against the wall, stuck. Jaydes made a soft "Tut-tut," sound and smiled as the party struggled to free themselves.

"It's of no use, your efforts, although cute, are futile," she proclaimed.

"You," Nastasia spat.

"Yes darling, such a shame I had to double-cross, backstabbing is one of the lowest forms of malevolence. But still, the job had to be done."

"Explain yourself," Merlon demanded.

"I don't have to, but I will, for all of you will be dead soon anyway."

Blumiere struggled against the magical binds, but to no avail. Jaydes zapped him with a jolt of purple energy and he appeared electrocuted.

"I said they are inescapable," she spoke with fury.

"As I was saying," Jaydes continued, "I saw the shoe of Dr. Flintome as he left his position of eavesdropping. Powder blue stands out too brightly against this dark dwelling. You should really dress the part if you attempt to be covert. Well, this goes back a few months, but I was becoming restless with my position."

"You're a queen!" General White exclaimed.

"Of the worthless," she spat. "My husband got all the glory, king of kindness and whatnot. I am known as the Ice Queen, the regent of the lost, the herald of the foolish. I reign over the poor devils of the kingdoms, while Grambi got to rule over the blessed. Does that seem fair?"

"Yes," Nastasia answered.

"It was rhetorical," Jaydes sighed.

"Well, I decided that I could have what I wanted, and rule the heavens by myself. I freed the demon Dimentio, hoping that his dimensional power could work to my advantage. Well, he overpowered me, and stole the power of the Underwhere. The Pure Heart."

"I thought Mario used those to enslave Dimentio?" Blumiere asked.

"They were returned," Jaydes spoke dryly.

"Well, I rounded up a court, to preside over this new state of affairs and reign in Dimentio. I picked those in the Underwhere whom I trusted. Well Dimentio slayed them in front of me, vowing to kill me if I didn't help him dominate the world. Then he would take me as his lovely queen."

"I refused at first, just wanting to thwart my husband. The jester had the effrontery to tell me that if I didn't kill Grambi myself he would do it and imprison me. Well I contacted every last resource I had, coming up with the marketing king Goldbob and the dimensional wizard Bestovius, which Dimentio had forgotten of in his plight."

"Goldbob…" General White breathed.

"Together, the three of us blockaded the Underwhere and set up provisions to maintain solidarity while Dimentio did as he pleased. It was a terrible mistake. However, this whole gang of ragamuffins got together and unsettled things, eventually leading to my imprisonment and Goldbob's abduction. Bestovius had been out, retrieving the Dark Prognosticus to hide from Dimentio. I still have not heard from him."

"Then who was that on the phone?" Dr. Flintome questioned.

"Goldbob," Jaydes replied and White gasped. "He wanted to leave forever, he had found Bestovius' staff in his house, which makes me believe the poor wizard is dead. Well Goldbob threatened to disappear and leave this whole matter to me to sort out. I won't have that, so I am going to kill every last one of you, except for Nastasia."

"Why me?" she asked.

"I'm going to frame you, for the release of Dimentio and the murder of King Grambi."

Nastasia's eyes glassed over, and the reality of it all sunk in.

That's when Jaydes fired.

The bolt of purple light struck Dr. Flintome square in the chest, and the old physician's bonds evaporated. He dropped to the floor and crumpled, a dark stain forming around the impact zone.

"No!" Nastasia screamed, time slowing and the world deafening around her. Her senses dulled, she sobbed and her emotions became uncontrollable. Writhing in her bonds, cursing Jaydes and vowing revenge, Nastasia appeared a blubbering mess. Jaydes smirked sadistically.

The true villain was revealed.

Queen Jaydes aimed the next blast at Blumiere, but he winked and with a smile flashed a toothy grin.

"What is so funny?" she demanded.

"You honestly think you'll succeed?" Blumiere laughed.

"Actually yes, Dimentio is dead, my objective is completed, I just need to dispatch of you lot and I'm safe," Jaydes unknowingly shrugged.

"Is that so?" Blumiere asked.

And in the next second, he was gone, out of this dimension, weaving his way between the fabrics of this planet, at the whim of his dimensional secrets.


	27. At Last

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Twisting, winding, undulating throughout time and space, what felt like an age was actually a mere moment as Blumiere sped throughout the dimensions. He materialized, behind Queen Jaydes and grabbed the nefarious woman by the shoulders, slamming her down to the cold tiled floors of Watchitt's abode. Venom in his eyes, Blumiere stared into her frightened soul, extracting any previous sense of dominance and imperialism from her being. Jaydes was afraid of what was to come.

Reaching for her jeweled scepter, she cried in agony as Blumiere stomped on her emaciated hand. With a shriek, she retracted her grasp and the man kicked the weapon away. Jaydes was defenseless and fully exposed to the wrath of Blumiere. He grabbed the scepter himself, and with brute force and careless vehemence, he brought the scepter down towards her head.

But he did not make contact; instead, the scepter shattered merely an inch from Jaydes' cowering skull. Blumiere looked restless, knowing that if he killed her, he became like her. She looked at him with a penitent gaze, and a sense of knowing manifested in Blumiere's mind.

The bonds released, and Nastasia came tumbling forward. She scrambled quickly to Blumiere's side and looked into his eyes with fear and misunderstanding.

"You're letting her live?" she asked confused.

"If I kill her, she wins," Blumiere answered inconspicuously, "If I kill her, I become a monster, just like her."

Merlon nodded in deep understanding, and Nastasia knew what Blumiere was trying to convey.

Defeated, Jaydes was accosted by a fuming General White.

"I trusted you," he spat, "We shared imprisonment together, plotting escape, for this?"

"It wasn't supposed to turn out this way," she reassured, "I just wanted, to be cherished, to be the heavenly queen, I wanted Grambi to see what it was like to be me, he never asked or cared how it felt to govern the lost! Did he sit on a throne of bones? Did he investigate the cause of my constant depression? NO! He was a great king, but a terrible husband."

"That didn't entitle you to murder, you killed Princess Peach, do you know who we are talking about?"

"No…it's fake, I created a doppelganger of her, and transported the real Peach to the Underwhere. I can't bring myself to kill, I just wanted power. Dr. Flintome isn't dead, he's stunned. He might have bled a bit, but it was all an intimidation factor, he'll wake up within the hour."

General White felt sorry for her, for the lengths she went to in order to get what she wanted.

"You betrayed us, you betrayed me," White gravely spoke.

Ashamed, Jaydes turned away. This feeling inside of her, loneliness, complete and void of all warmth and life. She was a hollow corpse, so what if they killed her, so what if her machinations ceased to exist. She had not just failed her husband, she had failed herself. It hurt unimaginably, the thought of his death, but wasn't that what she wanted?

No.

She had wanted equality amongst the two, not this…horror.

After all, that's what drives the vicious circle, horror.

So Jaydes didn't look back at the arrival of the Mushroom envoy, she didn't look back all throughout the march to the Underwhere, she didn't look back when Lord Blumiere read her the crimes she had committed in front of the Princess, and the Chancellor and all of the powers that be in the kingdoms.

"Queen Jaydes, for the crimes you have committed, you will be sealed in the Underwhere for all of eternity until one shall take your place," Lord Blumiere read. Then much to the satisfaction of the masses he added,

"Which I ensure will not occur."

A tear, followed by one more. One for her and one for Grambi. She let them flow, enveloping her darkened face and her regal attire. She let the two tears trickle down her high cheekbones and clamped lips, brushing the edges of her delicate chin. The fell to the ground in a silent splash, leaving miniscule marks of water mixed with salt and a dash of remorse. But only a dash.

"Is there anything you would like to say?" Lord Blumiere offered.

"One thing," she answered, raising her head in shame.

"No matter what you do, these kingdoms will never be the same. You think you can stop it? You're never going to stop it!"

The words pierced Blumiere like knives. Dimentio, before his death, spat the same words. It will never stop. Whatever this plaguing madness was, it would never stop. The guards rose to throw Jaydes into the pit that would house her for the ages. Blumiere raised a gloved hand.

"Stop." He commanded.

The guards stopped, confused, but Peach stood defiantly.

"Do it," she ordered.

Not knowing who to believe, the guards stiffened their posture and remained stationary.

Blumiere silently glided over to where Jaydes stood before the pit.

"This will never end…what will never end?" he implored.

"You," she breathed barely audibly, "You were the key to this operation, you were what we struggled to end. We learned you cannot be broken, The Tribe of Darkness must have an heir."

Finally he understood, this wasn't about him, it was about what he was made of. Born out of shadow, his lineage kept him alive, the extinction of a race once so valuable was imminent.

"Isn't that a shame," he whispered.

The sense of falling caught Jaydes off guard, and as she fell she never learned what would become of her in the pit.

It was bottomless.

Blumiere turned back to the crowd, glee dancing in his eyes. Not for long however, for his visage returned to the normal appearance of sadness and forlorn. The procession ending, the trial over and the punishment fulfilled, Blumiere embraced the small party that awaited him.

"What will we do now?" Dr. Flintome speculated.

"Go home," Nastasia answered, "Go home and live your life, and cherish it. Leave Mount Noir, live in Poshley, be something, do something."

Not a word was said afterwards, and as General White and Dr. Flintome departed, Nastasia and Blumiere were left alone.

At Last.

**Blumiere and Nastasia are finally together. But does Blumiere truly not remember his past, or does he still view Nastasia as nothing more than a companion. Queen Jaydes has been sentenced to infinite imprisonment in a bottomless pit, and the rest of our characters have gone their separate ways. I know this chapter might have rushed things, but I am getting excited over beginning my next story. One more chapter and an epilogue remain of this story, and then my friends this tale of woe shall be laid to rest. **


	28. Blumiere

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The pair stood in front of the magnificent doors of Castle Bleck, taking in the aura of despair and treachery that shrouded the edifice. Holding her small cheek in his ghostly hand, Lord Blumiere gazed into the innocent eyes of Nastasia, cherishing her presence here with him and devouring every second with an unidentifiable longing.

"Blumiere…" she began but was intercepted.

"Hush, let us savor this tranquil sliver of time while it lasts."

There they stood, bathing in each other's emotion, basking in the splendor of seclusion.

A minute passed, and Nastasia shattered the silence again.

"I have to know," she demanded.

"Know what?" Blumiere questioned with concern.

"Do you…love me?" she asked.

Paralyzed, Blumiere didn't know how to respond.

"Nastasia….I…"

"You can remember can't you?"

"I…"

"Do you remember?"

"Nas…"

"Don't, I know, you still…love her."

"I remember."

Everything she had fought for, wasted, used and discarded by the man she thought she could learn to love. But the monster inside of him turned inside out and chomped on her feelings for dinner. She had enough, she longed for affection, she craved his love, but he did not return it.

"Nastasia, of course I remember. I don't care what some shaman told you, I know what truly happens between Count Bleck and I, do you think someone else can discern that? Timpani, visited me in my death, she informed me of what I had become and what I had left to live for. She mentioned you, I came back for you, but to save you not to love you."

"Save me from what?!" she asked with loath.

"Yourself," Blumiere replied.

Her insides doubled over themselves and her world collapsed, everything around her was of foreign nature. She couldn't handle this, not here, not now, not ever. But she had to, she had to tell Blumiere how she felt.

"I love you."

"No, you don't."

"Don't you dare tell me how I feel, Bleck."

She regretted the words as soon as she had said them. The hurt in his eyes apparent, he looked down at Nastasia with disapproval and scorn.

"I saved your life," he scowled.

"I saved yours."

"You didn't know what you were doing."

"Don't you tell me what I know."

He faltered on his words, emotion bubbling in his eyes.

"Goodbye Nastasia," his voice sounded hollow.

He walked to the beginnings of the gate, and resting a gloved hand on the wrought iron that surrounded the yard he turned back to look at Nastasia. She looked at him and for a second, he saw the same lunacy in her eyes that he had seen in Dimentio's on the night of his death. It had only been there for a second, but it was enough to tell him that his suspicions were correct.

"It will never end," he recited.

Then he disappeared into the black night, the sky still as death and filled with and empty cold aura. Nastasia watched him go and muttered her final words to him.

"How dare you."

She fainted after that, falling into a slumber from which she had trouble waking from. When she awoke, the piercing rays of the day intruded upon her grief and she batted them away to no avail.

Rising and shaking off the night she looked into the sky and cursed his name.

"Blumiere," she whispered.

"Blumiere," louder.

"Blumiere!"

She grabbed her throat, choking out the final cry, tears streaming down her trembling face. Sinking to the ground, clutching her knees and rocking herself back and forth, she cried and wailed at the shadow where Blumiere had previously stood.

She had failed, her plot to take Blumiere for herself had failed. The whole world had wanted him, Lisette needed his shelter, Dimentio needed his blood, and she needed his love. His unrequited love was never accounted for. She had expected him to waltz into her arms, and be the Blumiere she had always longed for.

She thought of that day, when he saved her. Exhuming her from her dreadful fate as an imprisoned beast, freeing her from her bonds of servitude into a new set of manacles. Without knowing it, she was a prisoner once again. She watched as her tears rolled onto the cracked stone ground and breathed in her spittle and woe.

Rising, she slowly and shakily walked herself over to the gorge that rested next to the gargantuan mansion. Looking down into the void that lay before her, she reflected upon the events of the past week.

Meeting General White at the Poshley train station, arriving at Castle Bleck, Lisette's murder, Dimentio's horrid entrance, her perilous journey through the Overthere, the discovery of Queen Jaydes' treachery.

Blumiere's nonchalant dismissal of her love for him.

Looking out at the horizon, waiting for the sun that seemed to never come, Nastasia thought of what was left for her.

Looking into the gorge, she contemplated throwing herself in, ending this cruel existence placed upon her. She dangled a foot over the gap, steeling herself for the ramifications of either choice.

She took a breath, and saw his face.

Blumiere.

Who had she loved?

Blumiere.

Who had broken her heart?

Blumiere.

Her choice was made, and she prepared herself to embrace the effect.

The clouds huddled together, whispering over the tragedy they had just witnessed. Shielding the moon beams from touching the desolate earth of Castle Bleck, the clouds knew the answer, the night knew the choice.

Standing alone, complete in its grandeur and horror, the only witness to the desperate choice of Nastasia.

Castle Bleck.


	29. Epilogue

The Horror of Castle Bleck

Epilogue

If you possessed the unmatchable chutzpah to venture thus far, then you have ventured to the end of our tale dear reader. It woes me to tell you this morbid news, but alas, all works must come to an end sometime or the other. I would like to tell you that this tale had a happy ending, that Nastasia and Blumiere loved one another greatly, and prospered and rebuilt the halls of Castle Bleck. This is not the case however, as in this present day, Castle Bleck stands remote, empty, and broken.

The windows are shattered, the edifice is crumpled. The shingles are missing and loose in several places, the weathervane unhinged. The spires and battlements are cracked and leaning, the cobblestone drive is arrogated by the fleet of dead grass surrounding it.

Inside, the vivid detail of Blumiere's portrait is weathering, the halls are vacant and the rooms are stained with the remnants of blood. Corpses are strewn about. The bones of Mimi were reduced to dust by exposure to the elements, but the cadavers upstairs, or on the second level, due to the lack of stairs, are peacefully resting.

Pennington's bones are situated nicely in his bed. Blythe rests uninterrupted. Lisette lies with the knife in her bosom.

Dear reader, I am not the kind of writer that leaves you fuming with an unclear ending. It is true that night was only the testament to Nastasia's choice. We left her gazing out of the ravine, deciding whether or not to take her own life. It would seem…silly…to take one's life after such a ghoulish and righteous adventure. Bringing iniquity to its knees, Nastasia sat on the throne of heroism. But she still loved Blumiere, as uncouth as it was to him. The ghostly lord had abandoned her, knowing that love could not bind the two.

So mesmerized by the ability to end her own life, Nastasia did not notice the fleeting clouds and the dawn of the new day, she noticed not the transcendence of a new opportunity. She could have noticed all of this and carried herself with dignity to somewhere decorous, and delivered a sermon of unparalleled and gripping horror and conquest, with a force to be shaped into a best-selling novel, or a whimsical letter or something that the world had never seen.

She had stopped a seemingly imminent destruction.

This was not her forte however, to notice. Had she possessed this specialty, and been cognizant of Blumiere's feelings from the beginning, she would not have implored of him the unequipped ability to love. Nastasia did not notice however, and upon realizing what she hadn't been able to realize at all, she waved her foot over the edge of the rift. Dipping her heel ever so slightly, testing the bridge between life and death, she challenged the faculties of her will.

Blumiere, fleet-footed and disturbed, did not look back. He did not stop the passionate burst that evinced itself in the midst of her lunacy. So, without a protector or a heart to pour her feelings over, she made her choice.

And plunged herself into the ravine.

She did not jump, or sway, or stumble, but graceful and silently, she let her body swing over the edge and fall. In doing so, the true horror of Castle Bleck was divulged.

No matter what one will do for love, it cannot be engendered without stimulation on both ends.

For the sake of brevity…

Love is a curse.

A curse so vile and so barbaric, that those who are plagued by its presence will succumb to it involuntarily. Like being caught in a snare, Nastasia was a hapless victim of love's machinations.

So dear reader, if one thing is to be taken for this macabre tale.

Do not love without a cause, do not throw your passions without planning, and above all, do not believe that something broken needs to fixed.

Blumiere's heart was broken, Timpani had died in his arms. Nastasia could not provide the love he required, for it was not required at all. She fought a worthless battle, one that weaved itself in between the machinations of Dimentio and Jaydes, one that was overshadowed by the destruction of the universe.

She didn't notice it though, she never did.

Where I leave you reader, is a horrible place to leave one. It is something I am ashamed to do, but someone must deliver this tale and I took it upon myself to do so.

And perhaps I didn't notice something too.

Whenever something so picayune and so worthless is being fought for, there must be a reason. Nastasia's efforts and her incessant plight to capture Blumiere's love were not all for naught, they couldn't have been.

What is love without a cause?

Horror, absolute and unparalleled horror. This said horror circles itself around the chateau known as Castle Bleck, so obscure from the rest of the world, its perils unsung and unheard.

That dear reader, is the horror of Castle Bleck.


End file.
